Tag: Tech Time Warp

Tech Time Warp is a weekly feature that looks back at interesting moments and milestones in tech history.

Tech Time Warp: The lesson to learn from Y2K, 20 years later

Tech Time Warp: The lesson to learn from Y2K, 20 years later

It’s cool 20 years later to snicker about the non-event Y2K turned out to be. However, the programmers who spent long hours ensuring it was a non-event get a bit defensive about that — and rightfully so. After all, their...

/ January 3, 2020
Tech Time Warp: Why Perl — the “duct tape of the internet” — was such a gem

Tech Time Warp: Why Perl — the “duct tape of the internet” — was such a gem

The programming language Perl ended up becoming the backbone of Yahoo and a million other websites, but when Larry Wall released Perl 1.0 for machines running the UNIX operating system December 18, 1987, he was simply sharing his personal code...

/ December 20, 2019
Tech Time Warp: The high and lows of the AltaVista search engine

Tech Time Warp: The high and lows of the AltaVista search engine

Since “google” is now legitimately considered a verb (per Merriam-Webster), it’s hard to remember a world in which another search engine was considered innovative. However, there was life before Google — and it was called AltaVista.

/ December 13, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Teens left their fingerprints on the Goner worm

Tech Time Warp: Teens left their fingerprints on the Goner worm

Much like the “Wet Bandits” left their signature (running water in a stopped-up sink) on home burglaries in the holiday classic Home Alone, the Israeli teenagers arrested in December 2001 for spreading the Goner worm signed their work — and...

/ December 6, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Columbia researchers find IoT vulnerability

Tech Time Warp: Columbia researchers find IoT vulnerability

The headlines were inflammatory in every sense of the word: In November 2011, two Columbia University researchers recognized a security vulnerability in HP printers and set one ablaze. Professors Salvatore Stolfo and Ang Cui realized that every time an HP...

/ November 29, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Pixar captures moviegoers’ hearts with computer animation

Tech Time Warp: Pixar captures moviegoers’ hearts with computer animation

On November 22, 1995, the release of Toy Story not only introduced Woody and Buzz Lightyear to audiences, but also it represented the culmination of more than 16 years of work and innovation from some of the biggest names in...

/ November 22, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Alice and Bob, a couple with secrets

Tech Time Warp: Alice and Bob, a couple with secrets

In general, a successful relationship is built on open communication, but in the case of famous technology couple Alice and Bob, secrets are a must.

/ November 15, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Mozilla Foundation releases Firefox 1.0

Tech Time Warp: Mozilla Foundation releases Firefox 1.0

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.

/ November 8, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Jerusalem malware inspires antivirus industry

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...

/ November 1, 2019
Tech Time Warp: Say “Aloha” to the first wireless network

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...

/ October 25, 2019