15 events that changed technology history

15 events that changed technology history

The key milestones that shaped the industry

There are certain key points that have shaped the way technology is today. We've rounded up the 15 most important milestones and explained why they changed the course of the industry.

Technology has become what it is today thanks to key milestones that changed the direction of the industry. For example it was only during a tour of Xerox PARC that Steve Jobs was struck with the idea of Macintosh after seeing the PARC's GUI in action, but would Apple be as popular today if he hadn’t made that pilgrimage?

We've charted the 15 most important points in tech history that have already influenced the direction the industry has taken and will continue to shape its future.

Apple's NeXT move


Apple's top-secret new OS, codenamed Copland, could restore Apple's technological lead, if it ever shipped. After 10 years of development, it had swelled into an overambitious boondoggle.



Xerox and the dawn of free software


No problem, thought one MIT hacker. He'd simply modify the printer's software to automatically email users when their jobs were completed. He'd done it before, for earlier Xerox printers; all he needed was the printer's source code. But something had changed. Citing copyright and trade secrecy, Xerox wouldn't release the code for its newest machine without a signed nondisclosure agreement, an unheard-of request at the time.

The hacker was Richard Stallman, and his anger with Xerox fast became the stuff of legend. Stallman declared war on proprietary software, and went on to form the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation, proving that, forcing a coder to do legwork is a sure-fire way to launch a revolt.

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