Fad or future? 1998's top tech stories
4 months ago
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- Microsoft faces antitrust trial over bundling Internet Explorer with Windows.
- America Online acquires Netscape for $4.2 billion and partners with Sun Microsystems.
- Apple's iMac becomes a bestseller, aiding the company's financial turnaround.
- AT&T announces a $48 billion deal to buy Tele-Communications Incorporated, signaling industry convergence.
- Sub-$1,000 PCs gain popularity, with IBM introducing a $599 model.
- Intel struggles with competition, delays, and FTC charges but rebounds by year-end.
- E-commerce grows significantly, with online holiday sales exceeding expectations.
- Open-source software, especially Linux, gains traction amid anti-Microsoft sentiment.
- Windows 98 is released, with Windows 2000 expected in late 1999.
- The Starr report on President Clinton's impeachment causes a surge in Net traffic.
- Compaq acquires Digital Equipment for $9.6 billion, leading to significant job cuts.
- Women's websites like iVillage gain prominence, with potential IPOs on the horizon.
- Companies rush to launch portals, creating alliances between old and new media.
- Y2K concerns escalate, with lawsuits and federal efforts to address the issue.
- Internet stocks like AOL, Yahoo, and Amazon.com experience massive growth.
- Digital TV set-top boxes emerge as a battleground for PC and TV industries.
- A court rules library Net filtering unconstitutional, citing First Amendment violations.
- Microsoft and Sun clash over Java licensing, with a preliminary injunction favoring Sun.
- The U.S. government begins transferring control of the domain name system to a nonprofit.