Tech Time Warp: Mozilla Foundation releases Firefox 1.0 with fanfare
In 2004, you might have assumed Microsoft had won the browser wars for good. At the start of the year, 85 percent of web users relied on Internet Explorer.
Tech Time Warp: Jerusalem malware inspires antivirus industry
Even malware can produce silver linings — at least in the case of the Jerusalem virus, which inspired computer science students to develop some of the first antivirus software. In November 1987, Omri Mann and Yuval Rakavi were computer science...
Tech Time Warp: Say “Aloha” to the first wireless network
As it turns out, you really are saying “Aloha” every time you send a text or make a call using your mobile phone. AlohaNet, the technology that paved the way for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and mobile phone networks, got its start...
Tech Time Warp: 20 years later, IoT devices add to cybersecurity risk
As you check your FitBit for your daily step count and ask Alexa to order your groceries and control your “smart” home, it’s hard to imagine life without the ease of the “Internet of Things.” All of these devices —...
Tech Time Warp: Royalty and celebrities swept up in UK phone hacking scandal
Your smartphone carries a huge amount of personal data — and National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a good time to safeguard your mobile phone with best practices such as the use of strong passwords, keeping software up to date, being...
Tech Time Warp: Fernando Corbató, father of the computer password
Each October, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shares tips and tricks for tech safety during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Naturally, a key focus is using strong, secure passwords — tips the father of the computer password, Fernando Corbató, could...
Tech Time Warp: Stration worm preys on users’ best intentions
In September 2006, the tech world was focused on a reported Windows vulnerability related to the implementation of Vector Markup Language (VML). While programmers raced to fix the VML issue, spammers capitalized on the opportunity. Using the new bug in...
Tech Time Warp: NeXTSTEP introduced, paving the way for OS X and iOS
Steve Jobs’ story has many fascinating chapters, including the story of NeXTSTEP, the operating system that proved to be the first step toward OS X and iOS.
Tech Time Warp: Bank of America introduces ERMA and revolutionizes checking
It’s easy to write checks off as passé, but according to Next Gen Personal Finance, the average American still writes 38 checks a year. Next time you pull out your checkbook, consider the extraordinary staying power of checking technology, which...
Tech Time Warp: Microsoft chases a storm
In early 2007, network administrators began dealing with a trojan that grew into a massive botnet and even stumped Microsoft for more than a year. The Storm worm initially spread via email, promising the recipient news about dangerous storms in...