Computer History

You Can Try Hundreds of ’90s PalmPilot Apps in Your Browser

The PalmPilot was one of the most influential mobile devices of the 1990s, and helped establish Palm as a dominant player in the tech industry. Now you can use hundreds of apps and games made for it in your web browser….

Corbin Davenport Nov 28th

What Happened to 3D Desktops Like Bumptop?

Some of the most memorable scenes from Jurassic Park and Minority Report involve 3D computer interfaces that look amazing onscreen but haven’t taken off in real life. Yet 3D desktops aren’t dead, and their peak is still ahead…

Sydney Butler Nov 8th

StumbleUpon Made the Internet Feel Small

The internet is home to over one billion websites—and no great way to aimlessly explore them. StumbleUpon was the answer to this problem. It put a big “Shuffle” button on the internet, and the web didn’t feel so big….

Joe Fedewa Nov 5th

If Only We Could Blow on Gadgets to Fix Them

There are numerous reasons why I could never get a job as tech support, since my answer to most queries would be: “Did you blow on it? Maybe you should blow on it. Nothing? Ok, hold on. Try hitting it.”…

Chason Gordon Nov 1st

The 10 Worst Computer Viruses in History

Computer virus: Those two words instantly make us sweat—and for good reason. Since the 1980s, viruses have wreaked havoc on everything from our inboxes to industrial facilities. While cybersecurity has improved, the damage…

Brenna Miles Oct 28th

22 Classic Windows Games You Can Play Right Now

Do you fondly remember playing card games in a classroom on a Windows 95 workstation? Perhaps you passed the time in an early 1990s office cubicle sweeping for mines. You can relive the classic games of Windows past today. We…

Tim Brookes Oct 8th

What Ever Happened to HD-DVD?

Just like VHS and BetaMax, there was once a format war between the winning Blu-ray format and the now-defunct HD-DVD format. The war between these two formats was over in a mere two years, so what happened?…

Sydney Butler Sep 30th

A Farewell Tour of Benj’s Best HTG Computer History Articles

After 2.5 years and over 1,000 articles here, I’m leaving How-To Geek. It’s a bittersweet feeling, since I love this place, but new adventures are calling. Before I go, I thought it would be fun to round up my favorite and m…

Benj Edwards Aug 26th

Where Did the Term “Computer User” Come From?

We use the term “computer user” frequently, but with so many people who purchase computers, why not say “computer owner,” “computer customer,” or something else? We dug into the history behind the term and found something we …

Benj Edwards Aug 24th

Why Was Atari Called Atari?

With powerful branding and design, Atari became a household name in video games and computers during the 1970s and early ’80s. We’ll explain how its founders came up with the name and what it means.

Benj Edwards Aug 22nd

What Is a Pixel?

In our age of digital media, we often take for granted the humble pixel. But what exactly is a pixel, and how did it come to be such an important part of our lives? We’ll explain.

Benj Edwards Aug 15th

Radio Shack’s First PC: 45 Years of TRS-80

45 years ago, Radio Shack released the TRS-80 Micro Computer System, a 1977 personal computer that launched an era of low-cost PCs along with computers from Apple and Commodore. Here’s what was special about it….

Benj Edwards Aug 3rd

The Best-Selling PC of All Time: Commodore 64 Turns 40

40 years ago, Commodore released the Commodore 64 home computer, which set sales records, shook the American video game industry to its core, and introduced programming to a generation of kids around the world. Here’s why it …

Benj Edwards Aug 1st

You Can Now Play 3D Pinball From Windows on Nearly Anything

3D Pinball Space Cadet was a game first included in the ‘Microsoft Plus!’ pack for Windows 95, and it gained popularity for its inclusion in Windows XP. Even though the game doesn’t ship with Windows anymore, you can still pl…

Corbin Davenport Jul 1st

A World Without Wires: 25 Years of Wi-Fi

It’s been a quarter-century since the IEEE introduced the 802.11 Wi-Fi standard. Since then, speeds have increased, and wireless internet has changed the world. Here’s a look back.

Benj Edwards Jun 30th

“Atari Was Very, Very Hard” Nolan Bushnell on Atari, 50 Years Later

It’s been 50 years since Nolan Bushnell co-founded Atari, which brought video games to the mainstream. To celebrate, we asked Bushnell what he learned during the early years—and what we’ve lost sight of since then….

Benj Edwards Jun 27th

What’s the Difference Between the “Enter” and “Return” Keys?

On a Mac extended keyboard, there’s a “Return” and an “Enter” key. On most PC keyboards, there are two “Enter” keys, but some say “Return” instead. What’s going on here? We look at the history behind the keys….

Benj Edwards Jun 13th

5 Ways Windows Phone Was Ahead of Its Time

In the mobile OS landscape, Windows Phone wasn’t around for very long (2010-2017). It was never very popular, but Microsoft infused it with some new, interesting ideas. A few of those ideas ended up being ahead of their time….

Joe Fedewa Jun 11th

45 Years Later, The Apple II Still Has Lessons to Teach Us

45 years after the Apple II personal computer launched, the tech industry has arguably moved away from a few of the core principals that launched Apple and the personal computer into the mainstream. We spoke with industry lum…

Benj Edwards Jun 10th

Steve Wozniak Talks Apple II on Its 45th Anniversary

When Steve Wozniak designed the Apple II—released in June 1977—he kick-started a wave of appliance-like home computers for average people. For the 45th anniversary of this monumentally important machine, we talked to Wozn…

Benj Edwards Jun 10th

What Is ANSI Art, and Why Was It Popular in the 1990s?

During the age of the dial-up BBS, a special style of digital illustration emerged that utilized 256 text characters and 16 colors to create a vivid array of artworks. Here’s a look at why ANSI art emerged and how it still se…

Benj Edwards Jun 6th

What is Link Rot, and How Does It Threaten the Web?

If you’ve been browsing the web and hit a 404 error page or an unexpected redirection, you’ve seen link rot in action. Over time, the links that hold the web together break, threatening our shared cultural history. Here’s a l…

Benj Edwards May 30th

The Origins of Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+X, and Ctrl+Z Explained

We use them dozens of times a day: The Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, and Ctrl+V shortcuts that trigger Undo, Cut, Copy, and Paste. But where did they come from, and why does Windows use those particular keys for those functions? We…

Benj Edwards May 23rd

This Is How Steve Jobs Killed Adobe Flash

Adobe Flash powered most interactive content on the web throughout the 2000’s, but the introduction of the iPhone — and a directive from Apple CEO Steve Jobs — changed everything. Here’s how it happened….

Corbin Davenport May 20th

Achtung! How Wolfenstein 3D Shocked the World, 30 Years Later

Thirty years ago today, id Software released Wolfenstein 3D, a thrilling first-person shooter game set during World War II. It broke new ground for action-based PC games and continued a string of growing successes for id Soft…

Benj Edwards May 5th

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