It seems like only yesterday you could ‘share’ unlimited songs with your friends on Napster. Do you remember the innocent days before ‘google’ was used as a verb, spyware and adware did not turn your processor into molasses, and the Y2K bug was actually scary? Time flies in the world of tech, and nobody knows that better than News.com. They have chronicled it all, from the bubble to the bust, the Newton to the iPod, Netscape to Firefox. Take a walk down memory lane with News.com’s Mike Yamamoto as he highlights the top tech news stories of the past decade.
1995: The IPO that started it all
More than any other stock, Netscape Communications' initial public offering defined the arrival of the Internet as an economic force. With just $16 million in revenues at the time it went public in August 1995, the seminal Web browser company was valued at more than $2 billion. More important than any specific numbers, Netscape's 'moonshot' IPO created the frenzy of day trading and venture capitalist investments that would become a hallmark of the dot-com era.
1996: Free speech on the Internet
The Supreme Court's rejection of the Communications Decency Act, a much-disputed provision of the historic Telecommunications Act of 1996, defined the Internet as we know it today. Until that ruling, no one knew if the medium would be a limitless, unfiltered universe or a government-regulated entity like television and radio.
1997: Steve Jobs and the rebirth of Apple
In dramatic fashion, Apple Computer was saved from the brink of death by the return of its charismatic and controversial cofounder. Despite repeated early denials that he would return to the role of CEO, Steve Jobs went on to do just that and eventually returned the company to its former glory. Although the deal that brought him back took place in the final days of the previous year, Jobs would reshape Apple throughout 1997 and the next decade.
1998: The people vs Microsoft
In one of the most significant antitrust actions of the century, attorneys- general from 20 states and the District of Columbia joined the Justice Department in federal lawsuits against the world's most powerful software company. The case, which would go on for the next several years, was a pivotal juncture for the technology industry, the legal community, the stock market, and just about anyone who used a personal computer or the Internet.
1999: Y2K and the cost of fear
The doomsday scenarios were rampant: Computer systems everywhere would fail to recognise 2000 because the vast majority of programs recognised only the last two digits of a given year. But it all turned out to be much ado about relatively little - prompting sceptics to wonder whether the barrage of 'millennium bug' warnings were convenient excuses for poor earnings or sales pitches for so-called corrective software that no one really needed.
2000: A phenomenon called Napster
What began as an obscure file-sharing program quickly grew into a global network used to trade digital music for free. Within the music industry, however, it became as notorious as it was popular with its followers and eventually was the target of multiple lawsuits charging copyright violation on an unprecedented scale. Although only a shadow of its former self, Napster's influence continues to pervade much of the Internet today.
2001: Death of the New Economy
The carnage from the dot-com meltdown was far worse than anyone had imagined. Summing it up best was this News.com report ( http://news.com.com/Assessing+the+carnage/2009-1017_3-253125.html?tag=txt) on the ensuing blame game, whose participants were described as "day traders who gambled on obscure companies, midlevel engineers who cashed in stock options and retired at 29, Wall Street analysts who preached 'eyeballs,' 'stickiness,' and 'price-to-sales ratios,' forecasting companies that predicted exponential growth, and business publications that canonised the rich and gave others hope of striking similar fortunes".
2002: Adware, spyware, and PC invasions
It began as a seemingly innocuous marketing tool, but spyware soon became one of the most pernicious problems the Internet has ever faced. Whether through pop-ups, privacy invasion, or drained computer power, practically anyone who has used the Internet has been victimised by this trend. The issue, which continues in full force today, has been increasingly scrutinised by the courts and legislators.
2003: The wireless revolution
Many of us take it for granted now, but wireless computer networks were virtually nonexistent to the public at large only a few years ago. At work or at home, the technology has seen one of the fastest adoption rates in recent memory. With its growth, however, have come rising concerns about security that persist today.
2004: Offshoring: A political firestorm
Long before it became the centre of international controversy, the practice of offshore outsourcing could be traced to the technology sector. As a result, many looked to Silicon Valley as the topic rose to political prominence in last year's presidential election, during which both George Bush and John Kerry included the trend in their platforms. But beyond the immediate labour issues, the technology industry has been more concerned with the competitive and security risks in offshoring intellectual property.
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