Timeline for "Pirates of Silicon Valley"

1974: 

• Intel releases its 2-MHz 8080 chip, an 8-bit microprocessor. It can access 64KB of memory. It uses 6000 transistors, base on 6-micron technology. Speed is 0.64 MIPS.

• Popular Electronics publishes an article by MITS announcing the Altair 8800 computer for US$439 in kit form. It uses the Intel 8080 processor. The Altair pictured on the cover of the magazine is actually a mock-up, as an actual computer was not available.

1975: 

• Paul Allen meets with Ed Roberts to demonstrate the newly written BASIC interpreter for the Altair. Despite never having touched an Altair before, the BASIC works flawlessly.
• Bill Gates and Paul Allen license their newly written BASIC to MITS, their first customer. This is the first computer language program written for a personal computer.

• Fred Moore and Gordon French hold the first meeting of a new microcomputer hobbyist's club in French's garage, in Menlo Park, California. 32 people meet, including Bob Albrect, Steve Dompier, Lee Felsenstein, Bob Marsh, Tom Pittman, Marty Spergel, Alan Baum, and Steven Wozniak. Bob Albrect shows off an Altair, and Steve Dompier reports on MITS, and how they had 4000 orders for the Altair.
• Ed Roberts hires Paul Allen as director of software at MITS.

• The 3rd meeting of the Homebrew Computer Club is held.
• Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Micro-Soft (the hyphen is later dropped).
• MITS delivers the first generally-available Altair 8800, sold for US$375 with 1KB memory. (256 byte)

• Bill Gates and Paul Allen sign a licensing agreement with MITS, for their implementation of the BASIC language.
• Bill Gates and Paul Allen ship 4K and 8K version of BASIC v2.0.

• IBM's Entry Level Systems unit unveils "Project Mercury", the IBM 5100 Portable Computer. It is a briefcase-size minicomputer with BASIC, 16KB RAM, tape storage, and built-in 5-inch screen. Price: US$9000. Weight: 55 pounds.
• The first issue of Byte magazine is published.

• MITS releases a version of MicroSoft BASIC 2.0 for its Altair 8800, in 4K and 8K editions.

1976: 

• Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs finish work on a computer circuit board, that they call the Apple I computer.
• The First World Altair Computer Convention is held in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

• Bill Gates writes a second open letter to computer hobbyists, condemning software piracy.
• Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak form the Apple Computer Company, on April Fool's Day.

• The Apple I computer board is sold in kit form, and delivered to stores by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Price: US$666.66.

• Steve Wozniak begins work on the Apple II.

• Commodore International buys MOS Technology.
• Mike Markkula, ex-marketing wizard at Intel, visits Steve Jobs' garage, to see the Apple computers.
• Steve Wozniak decides to remain at Hewlett-Packard, but is soon convinced that he should leave and join Apple Computer permanently.

• The tradename "Microsoft" is registered.
• ComputerLand opens a pilot store in Hayward, California, as a retail outlet and a training facility for franchise owners. Paul Allen resigns from MITS.

• Bill Gates drops out of Harvard.

January

• The Apple Computer Company is incorporated.
• Apple employees move into an office on Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino, California. [353.259]

 

February

• Apple Computer moves from Jobs' garage to an office in Cupertino.
• Bill Gates and Paul Allen sign a partnership agreement to officially create the Microsoft company.

April

• The First West Coast Computer Faire is held, in San Francisco's Brooks Civic Auditorium. Nearly 13,000 attended the weekend event. [203.7] [266.145] [353.265]
• Apple Computer introduces the Apple II at the West Coast Computer Faire. The computer features a 6502 CPU, 4KB RAM, 16KB ROM, keyboard, 8-slot motherboard, game paddles, graphics/text interface to color display, and built-in BASIC, for US$1300. It is the first personal computer with color graphics.
• Apple Computer delivers its first Apple II system.

July

• Microsoft ships "Microsoft FORTRAN" for CP/M-based computers.

November

• Apple Computer releases Applesoft, a version of BASIC with floating-point capabilities. It is licenced from Microsoft.
• Paul Terrell sells his chain of 74 Byte Shops, valued at US$4 million. [266.190]

December

• At an executive board meeting at Apple Computer, president Mike Markkula lists the floppy disk drive as the company's top goal.

1978

January

• Apple Computer demonstrates its first working prototype Apple II disk drive at the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas.

February

• The first major microcomputer bulletin board, run by Ward Christensen and Randy Seuss, goes online, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. [9] [165.37] [229.150] [373.15]

March

• The Second West Coast Computer Faire is held, in San Jose, California. [208.16] [266.183]

May

• Intel begins production of the 8086 microprocessor. It is created by two engineers in just three weeks. Work on the processor began when it was realized that the i432 project was in trouble.

(month unknown)

• Apple Computer begins research and development on what would become the Lisa.

(month unknown)

• Xerox donates 50 Alto computers to Stanford, Carnegie-Mellon, and MIT.

1979

January

• Microsoft moves its offices from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Bellevue, Washington.

February

• Apple Computer releases DOS 3.2.

May

• Software Arts demonstrates VisiCalc at the 4th West Coast Computer Faire. Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston wrote it during 1978-79, under the company name Software Arts, under contract to Personal Software. [9.202] [80.126] [176.64] [203.9] [218] [266.xv] [346.102] (JUN [41])

June

• Intel introduces the 4.77-MHz 8088 microprocessor. It was created as a stepping stone to the 8086, as it operates on 16 bits internally, but supports an 8-bit data bus, to use existing 8-bit device-controlling chips. It contains 29,000 transistors, using 3-micron technology, and can address 1MB of memory. Speed is 0.33 MIPS. A later version operates at 8-MHz, for a speed of 0.75 MIPS. [120])
• MicroPro releases the WordStar word processor, written by Rob Barnaby. [266.153] [346.259] (written by Seymour Rubenstein [176.64])

September

• Apple Computer sells 35,000 Apple II computers for the fiscal year.

October

• 2.5 years after the introduction of the Apple II, 50,000 units have been sold. [218]
• Personal Software releases VisiCalc for the Apple II. [46] [140] [218] [266.230] [346.102] (NOV [120])

December

• The first Comdex show is held in Las Vegas.
• A group of Apple Computer engineers and executives is given a demo of Xerox Palo Alto Research Center's Alto computer system, in exchange for Xerox buying 100,000 Apple Computer shares for US$1 million.

(month unknown)

• Bob Metcalfe founds 3Com Corporation.

1980

July

• IBM representatives meet with Microsoft's Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer to talk about Microsoft products, and home computers. [266.271] [346.70]
• IBM asks Bill Gates to write the operating system for their upcoming PC.

August

• IBM meets with Microsoft again, and shows plans for Project Chess, a personal computer. The code name for the computer is "Acorn". Bill Gates argues that IBM should use the 16-bit 8086, rather than the 8-bit 8080 processor.
• QDOS 0.10 (Quick and Dirty Operating System) is shipped by Seattle Computer Products. Even though it had been created in only two man-months, the DOS worked surprisingly well. A week later, the EDLIN line editor was created. EDLIN was supposed to last only six months, before being replaced. [2] (SCP-DOS [266.272])

September

• Microsoft decides to propose to IBM that they provide the operating system for IBM's microcomputer.
• The "Dirty Dozen" is formed, the 12 engineers assembled to design and build the IBM PC, in Boca Raton, Florida. The PC's code name is Acorn.
• Apple Computer sells over 78,000 Apple II computers during the fiscal year.
• IBM meets with Microsoft again, to formalize plans to work together in creating a new microcomputer.

October

• Microsoft's Paul Allen contacts Seattle Computer Products' Tim Patterson, asking for the rights to sell SCP's DOS to an unnamed client (IBM). Microsoft pays less than US$100,000 for the right. [346.76]
• Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Steve Ballmer meet with IBM in Boca Raton, Florida, to deliver a report to IBM. They propose that Microsoft be put in charge of the entire software development process for IBM's new microcomputer, including converting Seattle Computer Products' SCP-DOS to run on the computer.

November

• Microsoft and IBM sign a contract for Microsoft to develop certain software products for IBM's microcomputer.

December

• IBM delivers the first PC prototype to Microsoft, so they can begin developing BASIC and the machine's operating system.
• Apple Computer becomes a publicly held company, selling 4.6 million shares at US$22 per share. More than 40 Apple employees and investors become instant millionaires. [266.240]
• Seattle Computer Products renames QDOS to 86-DOS, releasing it as version 0.3. Microsoft then bought non-exclusive rights to market 86-DOS.

January

• Apple Computer runs its "1984" commercial during the SuperBowl, introducing the Macintosh computer. Apple Computer runs the ad only once, but dozens of news and talk shows replay it, making it one of the most memorable ads in TV history. The ad cost US$1.5 million.
• Apple Computer introduces the Macintosh, for US$2500. It uses the 8-MHz 32-bit Motorola 68000 CPU, built-in 9-inch B/W screen, 512x342 graphics, 400KB 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, mouse, 128KB RAM, and weighing 20 pounds.
• IBM sues Corona Data Systems for copyright violation of the IBM PC's BIOS, and wins.]

February

• IBM sues Eagle Computer and Corona Data Systems for copyright violation of the IBM PC's BIOS, and wins.

March

• Microsoft releases MS-DOS 2.11. It includes enhancements to better allow conversion into different languages and date formats.
• 74 days after the introduction of the Macintosh, 50,000 units have been sold. [218]

April

• Compaq Computer introduces its PCs to Europe.
• Microsoft releases Microsoft Word 1.1 for DOS.

August

• IBM announces the PC AT, a 6MHz 80286 computer using PC-DOS 3.0, a 5.25-inch 1.2MB floppy drive, with 256KB RAM, for US$4000, which doesn't include hard drive or monitor/card. With a 20MB hard drive, color card and monitor: US$6700.

October

• Microsoft releases Microsoft Word 1.15 for DOS.
• Microsoft gives a demonstration of the final version of Windows to IBM. For the third time, IBM is not interested.
• The number of hosts on the Internet reaches 1000. [56]

1985

February

• Microsoft releases Microsoft Word 2.0 for DOS.
• Apple Computer co-founder Steve Wozniak resigns from Apple Computer, to start a company that will develop home video products.

May

• John Sculley essentially fires Steve Jobs at Apple Computer.
• Microsoft demonstrates Microsoft Windows at Spring Comdex. Release date is set for June, at a price of US$95.

June

• Apple Computer reports its first quarterly loss.
• Microsoft announces Windows 1.0.

October

• Intel introduces the 16-MHz 80386DX microprocessor. It uses 32-bit registers and a 32-bit data bus, and incorporates 275,000 transistors (1.5 microns). Initial price is US$299. It can access 4 gigabytes of physical memory, or up to 64 terabytes of virtual memory.

November

• Microsoft ships Microsoft Windows 1.0, for US$100. It is delivered two years after the initial announcement of the product.
• Apple Computer and Microsoft sign an agreement regarding Microsoft's use of Apple's copyrights on the visual display of the Macintosh.