The ’90s was a revolutionary decade for technology, and especially computers. With the advancement of technology, personal computers became much more affordable, the World Wide Web linked the entire world through the computer, Bill Gates and Microsoft developed the software that allowed us to use our computers in new and exciting ways, and Steve Jobs brought the world the first ever iMac. From these foundations, computers and the technology associated with them have gone on to become an integral element of how we live and function in the world.
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The World Wide Web
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The ’90s were a time where technological advancements allowed computers, which had previously been expensive and used primarily for business, to be used by individuals for things like games, entertainment and word processing. This led to one of the greatest achievements of the ’90s, the World Wide Web. The Internet was described by Noah and Nick Montfort in “The New Media Reader” as “a pool of human knowledge, and human culture, which would allow collaborators in remote sites to share their ideas and all aspects of a common project.” The linking of the world via the Web revolutionized the ways in which we communicated and conducted business.
Microsoft and Windows
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Computers in the ’90s were also renowned for being slow and unresponsive under the MS-DOS (Disc Operating System). In 1995, Bill Gates and the Microsoft Corporation released Windows 95, which went on to become one of the most popular operating systems ever produced. Windows 95 gave computer users the capability to have longer file names for the important data, where they had previously been restricted to eight characters. Following this huge success, Microsoft went on to release Windows 98 in 1998. These developments led to better machines and shaped the future of operating system in today’s world.
Intel Invents the Pentium Processor
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In another effort to make computers of the ’90s faster and more efficient, Intel developed the first Pentium Processor, a form of which is still used in most computers today. Pentium launched its first processor in 1993, which led to faster processors in the Pentium I, II and III. Today, the technology allows most of us to use Pentium Dual Cores, which have their foundations in the ’90s computer technology boom, as our processors.
Apple Release the iMac
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Until the release of the iMac in 1998, Apple Macintosh was not an industry leader in computer technology. The first iMac G3 had a gumdrop or egg-shaped look, with a CRT monitor, mainly enclosed by a colored, translucent plastic case (see Resources). Apple avoided using the beige colors used by other PC designers and focused on creating a distinctive identity for each of its products. The company has now drifted from the multicolored PC’s of the ’90s to adopt the more sleek and streamlined aesthetic it is renowned for today.
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