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Chronology of Workstation Computers

1968

(month unknown)

In California, IBM scientist John Cocke and others complete a prototype scientific computer called the ACS. It incorporates some RISC concepts, but the project is later cancelled due to the instruction set not being compatible with IBM’s System/360 computers. [95.40]

1969

(month unknown)

At Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey, Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie write a primitive operating system in assembly language on the PDP-7. This becomes the Unix operating system. [110.148] [127.168] [50.116] [51.10] [67.24] [156.ss8] [202.74]

1970

(month unknown)

Brian Kernighan suggests naming the operating system written by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie’s "Unix", as a pun on Multics, the operating system that it was to replace. [156.ss8]

1972

(month unknown)

Xerox decides to build a personal computer to be used for research. Project "Alto" begins. [52.58] [54.267] [109.85]
November

Researchers at PARC begin work on a prototype Alto personal computer. [109.93]

1973

March

The first prototype Alto workstation computer is turned on at Xerox’ Palo Alto Research Center. Its first screen display is a bitmapped image of the Sesame Street character Cookie Monster. [40.59] [109.14] [109.93] (completed in 1974 [54.267])
April

The first operational Alto computer is completed at Xerox PARC. [108.95,167]

1974

(month unknown)

Xerox releases the Alto computer. [54.xv]

IBM scientist John Cocke completes a prototype high-reliability, low-maintenance computer called the ServiceFree. It incorporates a RISC architecture, achieving at least 80 MIPS, 50 times faster than IBM’s fastest mainframe at the time. However, the project is later cancelled due to the massive "Future Systems" project consuming much of IBM’s resources. [95.40]

1975

June

At Xerox, John Ellenby proposes they build the Alto II personal computer, a modified Alto, making it easier to produce, more reliable, and more easily maintained. His request is approved. [109.205]

1976

(month unknown)

Xerox management rejects two proposals to market the Alto computer. [109.174]

1977

(month unknown)

Xerox renames its Janus workstation project to Star. [109.231]

1978

(month unknown)

At the University of California at Berkeley, programmers add virtual memory control to the Unix operating system. [174.348]

IBM scientist John Cocke produces the 801 computer, a RISC prototype named after the laboratory building it was built in. This minicomputer is often considered the invention of RISC processing. [95.42]

1979

September

Motorola introduces the 68000 16-bit microprocessor. It uses 68,000 transistors, giving it its name. [38.75] [71.136] (1980 [20])

1980

(month unknown)

IBM’s Austin Laboratory in Burlington, Vermont, creates a microprocessor called ROMP (Research/Office Products MicroProcessor) based on Jon Cocke’s 801 RISC design. This is the first completed RISC microprocessor. Speed is about 5-10 times faster than any other chip on the market. [95.42]

Apollo introduces a line of workstations using the Motorola 68000 processor. [40.90]

The term RISC (reduced instruction set computer) is coined by Professor David Patterson of the University of California in Berkeley. He designs a microprocessor called RISC I. [23] [95.40]

1981

(month unknown)

James Clark invents the Geometry Engine 3-D software. [221.61]

College professor James Clark found Silicon Graphics, Incorporated. [28] (1982 [79.9])

1982

February

Scott McNealy, Bill Joy, Andreas Bechtolsheim, and Vinod Khosla found Sun Microsystems. "SUN" originally stood for Stanford University Network. [47] [110.149,152] [217.163]
May

Sun Microsystems begins shipping the Sun 1 workstation computer. [110.152]
November

At the COMDEX show, Victory Computer Systems announces the Victory Factor series of computers, using the Motorola 68000 processor and the Unisoft Uniplus System 3 Unix operating system. [128.268]
(month unknown)

Toshiba introduces the Tosbac UX-300. It features a Toshiba 88000 processor, 512 KB RAM, 1 MB 8-inch floppy drive, 10 MB hard drive, and runs UNIX, for US$9300. [74.113]

1983

January

AT&T announces UNIX System V. [76.133]
(month unknown)

IBM’s Austin Laboratory begins project Olympiad, to develop a scientific workstation based on the ROMP microprocessor. [95.45]

Fortune Systems introduces the Fortune 32:16 computer system. It features a 6-MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 256 KB RAM, and runs Unix v7. Price is US$5000-11,000. [128.84]
November

Silicon Graphics introduces its first product, IRIS 1000 terminal. [221.61]
(month unknown)

Commodore Business Machines announces it will include the Coherent Unix-like operating system on a new series of Z8000-based computers called the Next Generation. [135.7]

1984

February 14

Scott McNealy is appointed president and chief operating officer of Sun Microsystems. [110.153] [218.D2]
April

Silicon Graphics begins shipping its first 3-D graphics workstations. [28]
June

Motorola introduces the 16-MHz 68020 processor, a 32-bit version of the 68000, in CMOS, with on-board cache. [1] [140] (1986 [20])
(month unknown)

MIPS Computer Systems is founded, and begins developing its RISC architecture. [29]

Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla resigns. [110.153]

Silicon Graphics introduces its first workstation, IRIS 1400. [221.61]

1985

(month unknown)

Sun Microsystems begins work on its SPARC processor. [29]

AT&T grants a UNIX license to IBM. [219.1]
September

Steve Jobs and five former senior managers of Apple Computer Inc. found NeXT Incorporated. [33.66] [46] [42.289] [65.213]

1986

January

Sun Microsystems first sells shares to the public. [110.219]

IBM announces the IBM RT Personal Computer, using RISC-based technology from IBM’s "801" project of the mid-70s. It is one of the first commercially-available 32-bit RISC-based computers. The base configuration has 1 MB RAM, a 1.2 MB floppy, and 40 MB hard drive, for US$11,700. With performance of only 2 MIPS, it is doomed from the beginning. [6] [19] [41.114] [61.129]

NeXT and Apple Computer reach an out-of-court settlement on Apple Computer’s lawsuit against NeXT. [110.99]
March

Silicon Graphics decides to switch from the Motorola 68000 processor line to MIPS Technologies’ RISC processors. [29]
(month unknown)

MIPS Technologies unveils the 8-MHz R2000 32-bit CPU. With 110,000 transistors, it achieves a speed rating of 5 MIPS. [38.75] (1985 [42.124])

MIPS Technologies begins volume shipments of the 8-MHz R2000 processor. [29]
June

Systems incorporating MIPS Technologies’ R2000 processor begin shipping. [89.13] [187]
(month unknown)

IBM begins work on a new line of Unix-based workstations. (They will become the IBM RS/6000 series.) [26]

Motorola begins work on the 88000 processor. [29]
September

Steve Jobs decides to use erasable optical disk drives for the first NeXT computer. [33.66]
November

The TV show, "The Entrepreneurs" airs nationally on PBS in the US. One segment shows Steve Jobs and his NeXT employees discussing business at a company retreat. [110.97]

1987

July 8

Sun Microsystems introduces its first SPARC-based system, the Sun-4/260, with 10 MIPS performance. Sun announces it is offering licenses for its SPARC microprocessor architecture. [29] [34.80] [38.75] [216.D3] (October [36.56]) (late 1986 [95.37])
December 31

Market share of Technical/Engineering workstations: Sun Microsystems 21.0%, DEC 23.1%, Apollo 19.3%, HP 14.6%, IBM 6.8%. [57.222]

1988

January

Sun Microsystems and AT&T announce the intention to set a standard for UNIX. [220.369]
April

Motorola unveils the 88000 processor. [29]
May

A consortium of seven companies, including IBM, announce the Open Software Foundation to develop UNIX standard. [220.369]
(month unknown)

Sun Microsystems ships its 100,000th workstation computer. [197.9]

NeXT begins negotiations with Businessland for a possible deal to sell NeXT computers outside of the education market. [110.201]
September

SPEC is formed, with the aim of producing a Unix system benchmark based on a standard set of real-life applications programs. [25]
(month unknown)

An engineering task force at Digital Equipment begins project Alpha, to develop a new processor architecture to succeed the VAX. [69.61] [116.141] (begins in mid-1989 [99.7])
October

Steve Jobs begins persuading Lotus Development to develop the Improv spreadsheet program for the NeXT computer. [110.266]

Steve Jobs of NeXT Inc. unveils the first NeXT computer, at the Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. For US$6500, it features: 25-MHz Motorola 68030 processor and 68882 math coprocessor, 8 MB RAM, 17-inch monochrome monitor, 256 MB read/write magneto-optical drive, and object-oriented NeXTSTEP operating system. It is dubbed the "Cube" because its system box measures 1 foot on all sides. [21] [33.65] [39.76] [40.7] [42.289] [64] [65.280] [110.14,162,166] [214] (August [2])
(month unknown)

Quote by Bill Gates, of Microsoft, on Steve Jobs’ introduction of the NeXT computer: "He put a microprocessor in a box. So what?". [110.14]

Quote by Bill Gates, of Microsoft, when asked if he would develop software for the NeXT computer: "Develop for it? I’ll piss on it.". [110.14]
December 31

Shipments of Unix-based systems in Italy for the year: 30,000, worth US$548 million. [166.18]

1989

January

Digital Equipment introduces its first RISC-based workstation, the DECstation 3100, using the 16.7-MHz R2000 MIPS Technologies processor. [24] [29] [173.201]
February

Quote from Sun Microsystem’s Scott McNealy when asked what he thought of the NeXT Cube: "... it’s the wrong operating system, the wrong processor, and the wrong price.". [110.212]
March

NeXT announces a deal with Businessland to sell NeXT computers outside of the education market. [110.201,208]
May

Hewlett-Packard buys workstation maker Apollo Computer for US$476 million. [27]

Solbourne Computers Incorporated is the first to announce a line of SPARC-based Sun-compatible computers. [34.80] (1988 [35.81])
June

Canon agrees to buy 16.67% of NeXT for US$100 million. [110.218]
(month unknown)

Digital Equipment introduces the DECstation 2100 computer. It features 12.5-MHz R2000 processor, 8 MB RAM, 15 inch monochrome 1024x864 monitor, Ethernet, mouse, keyboard, Ultrix Workstation Software operating system, SoftPC DOS emulator. Price is US$7950. [166.49] [173.201]

Sun Microsystems announces the 12.5 MIPS 20-MHz SPARCstation 1 for a base price of US$9000. [4] [38.58] [145]

SPARC International is formed. [34.80]

Data General unveils its Aviion workstation line, based on the Motorola 88000. [29]
July

In Tokyo, Canon introduces the NeXT Computer. Price is about US$14,000. An optional 660 MB hard drive adds US$14,000. [166.26]
(month unknown)

Absoft introduces a FORTRAN 77 compiler for NeXT systems. Price is US$1000. [173.66]

To date, there are about 4 to 5 million Unix users worldwide. [174.364]

Cypress Semiconductor introduces the 40-MHz 7C601 RISC processor, based on Sun Microsystem’s SPARC design. Performance is about 29 MIPS. Price is US$895 in 100 unit quantities. [173.18]

Hewlett-Packard’s Apollo division introduces the Apollo 2500 workstation. It features 20-MHz Motorola 68030 processor, 20-MHz 68882 math coprocessor, 4 MB RAM, 15 inch 1024x768 monochrome monitor, keyboard, mouse, Unix System V release 3. Price is US$3990. Price with 200 MB SCSI hard drive and Domain/OS operating system is about US$3990. [164.94] [163.49] [173.8] [201.30]
September

Hewlett-Packard announces a US$3990 UNIX workstation based on the Motorola 68030. [27]

NeXT ships the first NeXT Computer systems. [42.289] [46] [164.145]

NeXT releases NeXTSTEP v1.0. [42.289] [46] [164.145]
October

SPEC releases version 1.0 of its SPEC Benchmark Suite for Unix systems. [25] [145.6] [191]

IBM signs a deal with NeXT to license the NeXTSTEP operating system, for US$10 million. [33.65] (1988 [96.310])
(month unknown)

Motorola begins large volume shipments of the 88100 processor. [191]

In New York, the Unix Expo is held. [164.30]

Sun Microsystems publishes its SBus i/o bus as an open specification for its workstation computers. [165.283]
December

IBM demonstrates its new line of RISC System/6000 workstations. [3]
December 31

Shipments of Sun Microsystems SPARC workstations for the year: 45,000. [34.80]

1990

January

Sun Microsystems signs an agreement to transfer the SPARC trademark to SPARC International. [34.80]

NeXT decides to redesign the NeXT computer, targeting a cheaper computer to be available by the fall. [110.253]
February

NeXT co-founder Dan’l Lewin resigns from NeXT. He is the first of the original five co-founders to resign. [110.255]
February 15

IBM unveils its new RISC-based workstation line, the RS/6000. Development work had been done under code name "America" for the RISC chip research, and "RIOS" for systems using the America technology. The architecture of the systems is given the name POWER, standing for Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC. [41.116] [110.282] [209.86]
May

Toshiba unveils the first SPARC laptop, the SPARC LT. [34.80]
(month unknown)

Lotus Development introduces Improv spreadsheet program for the NeXT Computer. Price is US$695. [176.147]
September

Quote by James Clark, chairman of Silicon Graphics, on NeXT: "They’re dead meat.". [212.52]
September 18

At the Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, NeXT unveils three new NeXT computers, including the NeXTstation using a Motorola 68040 processor. [33.66] [42.289] [110.261] [212.50] (October [33.65])
October

At the Microprocessor Forum, Motorola announces a new line of single-chip RISC processors, the first of which is to be the 88110. [41.81] [150] [182]

IBM demonstrates the NeXTSTEP operating system running on an IBM RS/6000 workstation. [110.283]
November

LSI Logic announces the availability of SparcKIT, a SPARC chipset at speeds of 20-MHz and 25-MHz. [34.80]
December 31

Market share of workstation computers: Sun Microsystems, 29.1%; Hewlett-Packard, 22.7%; DEC, 17.7%. [31.13]

Shipments of Sun Microsystems workstations for the year: 130,000. [34.80]

Shipments of IBM RISC System/6000 computers for the year: 25,000. [32.13]

1991

January

Sun Microsystems begins shipping the SPARCstation 2. [35.81]

RDI announces the availability of Macintosh emulation software for SPARC systems. [34.80]
February

Sun Microsystems creates SunSoft, a system software subsidiary. [172.198]

MIPS Technologies unveils the R4000 RISC processor architecture. [31.13]
March

NeXT begins shipping of its low-end NeXTstation color computers for US$8000. [33.66] [110.263] (April [42.289])
May

NeXT begins shipping of its high-end NeXTstation color computers for US$14000. [110.263]
June

Ross Perot resigns from the NeXT board of directors. [110.292]
July

NeXT completes the Japanese version of the NeXTSTEP operating system. [110.280]

Sun Microsystems introduces the SPARCstation ELC, and the SPARCstation IPX. [34.80]
August

Silicon Graphics announces the Indigo computer. [138.81]
(month unknown)

Steve Jobs agrees with his NeXT company advisors to port the NeXTSTEP operating system to the Intel 80x86 architecture. [110.318]
September

MIPS Technologies begins shipping samples of the R4000 processor. [98.9]

Silicon Graphics begins licensing the OpenGL graphics library. [130.108]

SunSoft announces the Solaris 2.0 operating system for 80x86 and SPARC architectures. [172.198]
October

Sun Microsystems begins licensing the new chipset used in the SPARCstation 2. [35.81]

MIPS Technologies officially introduces the 100-MHz R4000, its 64-bit RISC processor. [8] [48]
November

MIPS Computer Systems announces its ARC System licensing program, consisting of a complete ARC System 100 system design, supporting ROM code, operating system drivers, and ASICs. [112.1]

Intel decides against licensing Digital Equipment’s technology in the Alpha architecture. [97.24]
December

Standards Performance Evaluation Corp (SPEC) names its integer and floating point benchmark metrics for Unix systems as SPECint and SPECfp, respectively. [145.6]
December 31

Shipments of Unix operating system for the year: 1.2 million. [175.134]

1992

January

Standards Performance Evaluation Corp (SPEC) announces availability of SPECint92 and SPECfp92 benchmark suites for Unix systems. Cost of the suite is US$900. [121.78] [113] [145.6] [191]

At NeXTWORLD Expo in San Francisco, NeXT announces that a version of the NeXTSTEP operating system will be made for Intel PCs. [42.289] [110.319]

Standards Performance Evaluation Corp (SPEC) announces renaming of its Unix system benchmark metrics to include the "89" suffix, ie. SPECint89 and SPECfp89. [145.6]
(month unknown)

Hewlett-Packard introduces the Series 9000 Model 710 computer. It features 50-MHz PA-RISC processor, Ethernet, serial, parallel, SCSI-2, 16 MB RAM, 19-inch 8-bit grayscale monitor, for US$9490. [161.36]

Hewlett-Packard introduces the Series 9000 Model 705 computer. It features 35-MHz PA-RISC processor, Ethernet, serial, parallel, SCSI-2, 16 MB RAM, 19-inch 8-bit grayscale monitor, for US$4990. [161.36]
February

Ross Technology publicly previews its Pinnacle-1 SPARC processor. [111]
February 25

Digital Equipment unveils the 64-bit Alpha processor architecture, with speed estimates of 150 million instructions per second. [210.38] [213.63]
(month unknown)

Tadpole Technology introduces the Sparcbook portable computer. It features 8-32 MB RAM, 85-240 MB hard drive, floppy drive, gray-scale or color 640x480 monitor, 25-MHz CY601 integer processor, 25-MHz CY604 floating point processor, Ethernet port, internal 9600/2400 fax/modem, Solaris operating system, Open Windows 3.0, SoftPC to run MS-DOS and MS-Windows applications. Size is 12 x 8.5 x 2 inches, weight is 7 pounds 1 ounce, price is US$4950-14850. [165.40]
March

MIPS Technologies ships the 100-MHz R4000 processor. [90.134] [150]

Silicon Graphics announces it is acquiring MIPS Computer Systems. [111.1]
(month unknown)

MIPS Computer Systems announces the Magnum 4000 and Millennium 4000 OEM systems, based on the ARC System 100 design. Both use a 50/100-MHz R4000 processor. [112.1]

Silicon Graphics ships its 100,000th workstation. [197.9]
May

Ross Technologies announces the hyperSPARC processor. [180] [182]

IBM announces the RS/6000 Model 970 computer. It features 50-MHz processor with 32 KB instruction cache and 64 KB data cache, 64 MB RAM, 2.7 GB hard disk. Price is US$97,822. Performance specifications are 47.1 SPECint92, 93.6 SPECfp92, 49.3 SPECint89, 160.9 SPECfp89. [113.5]

Sun Microsystems announces the SPARCstation 10 family, using the Sun / TI Viking SuperSPARC processor. Original name for the family was SPARCstation 3. [113.11] [116.20] [180]

Sun Microsystems announces the SPARCstation 10 model 30. Features include 36-MHz SuperSPARC processor, 32 MB RAM, 424 MB hard drive Price is US$18495. [113.11]

Sun Microsystems announces the SPARCstation 10 model 41. Features include 40-MHz SuperSPARC processor, 1 MB second-level cache, 32 MB RAM, 424 MB hard drive Price is US$24995. [113.11]

Sun Microsystems announces the SPARCstation 10 model 52. Features include two 45-MHz SuperSPARC processors, each with 1 MB second-level cache, 64 MB RAM, 1 GB hard drive cache Price is US$39995. [113.11]

Sun Microsystems announces the SPARCstation 10 model 54. Features include four 45-MHz SuperSPARC processors, each with 1 MB second-level cache, 64 MB RAM, 1 GB hard drive cache Price is US$57995. [113.11]
(month unknown)

SPARC International introduces version 9 of the SPARC architecture. It features 64 bit address space, and instruction set extensions for superscalar implementations. [175.26]

Unix Systems Laboratories announces Unix System V release 4.2. [175.38]

Silicon Graphics and the OpenGL Architecture Review Board officially release OpenGL 1.0 Specification. [130.13]

Bud Tribble, co-founder of NeXT, resigns from NeXT, and goes to work for Sun Microsystems. [110.330]
September

NeXT ships NeXTSTEP v3.0. [42.289]
(month unknown)

IBM announces the RS/6000 Model 580 computer. It incorporates a 62.5-MHz POWER chip set. Performance is 59 SPECint92, 125 SPECfp92, and 126 SPECmark89. Base price is US$62,500. [146]
October 14

At the Microprocessor Forum, Texas Instruments and Sun Microsystems formally unveil the 50-MHz microSPARC processor. The processor includes integer and floating-point units, and 4 KB instruction and 2 KB data caches. It incorporates 800,000 transistors, using a 0.8-micron CMOS process. Development names during development were Tsunami and TMS390S10. Performance is about 40 MIPS. [90.134] [147.1] [107.36] [180]
October

Hewlett-Packard announces the PA-7100LC processor. [182]
November 16

Digital Equipment demonstrates systems with 125-MHz 21064 Alpha processors running a variety of Windows NT applications. [149]
November

Digital Equipment unveils the 150-MHz DECchip 21064 microprocessor, implementing the Alpha AXP 64-bit architecture. Development name was EV-4. [7] [37.15] [69.61] [87.64] [90.134] [148.1] [187]

Digital Equipment introduces the DEC 3000 Model 500 AXP, featuring 150-MHz Alpha 21064 processor, 512 KB cache, 32 MB RAM, 1 GB hard drive, six Turbochannel expansion slots, CD-ROM drive, and 19-inch color monitor. Price is US$38.995. Performance is 121.5 Specmark. [137.22] [148.1]

Sun Microsystems introduces the SPARCclassic, featuring a 50-MHz microSPARC processor, 16 MB RAM, 207 MB hard disk, two SBus expansion slots, Solaris 2.1, and 15-inch color monitor. Price is about US$4500. Performance specs are 59.1 MIPS, 26.4 SpecInt92, 21.0 Specfp92. [37.15] [137.21] [148]

Sun Microsystems introduces the SparcStation LX, featuring 50-MHz microSparc processor, 16 MB RAM, 424 MB hard disk, Solaris 2.1, GXplus video accelerator, CD-quality audio, built-in ISDN, and 16-inch color monitor. Price is US$7995. Performance specs are 59.1 MIPS, 26.4 SpecInt92, 21.0 Specfp92. [37.15] [137.21]

Sun Microsystems announces SPARCcenter 2000 multiprocessor server. Up to 20 SuperSPARC processors can be used. Price with two processors is US$95,000. [37.15] [148]

MIPS Technologies (division of Silicon Graphics) announces the R4400 microprocessor, previously called the R4000A. It is an R4000 processor with double on-chip cache, implemented in 0.6-micron CMOS. Clock rates of up to 150-MHz (75-MHz internal) will be available. The chip incorporates 2.2 million transistors. [148.1] [180]

Hewlett-Packard announces the HP 9000 Model 735 desktop workstation. It features a 99-MHz PA-RISC 7100 processor, 32 MB RAM, 525 MB SCSI hard drive, and 19-inch color monitor. Rated speeds are 147 Specmarks and 40.8 MFLOPS. Price is US$37,395. [37.15] [139.18]

Hewlett-Packard announces the HP 9000 Model 755 deskside workstation. It features a 99-MHz PA-RISC 7100 processor, 64 MB RAM, 2 GB hard drive, and 19-inch color monitor. Rated speeds are 147 Specmarks and 40.8 MFLOPS. Price is US$58,995. [37.15] [139.18]

Hewlett-Packard announces the HP 9000 Model 715/33 workstation. It features 33-MHz PA-RISC processor, grayscale monitor, and one expansion slot. Price is US$4,995. [37.15] [139.18]

Hewlett-Packard announces the HP 9000 Model 715/50 workstation. It features 50-MHz PA-RISC processor, grayscale monitor, 512 MB hard drive, and one expansion slot. Price is US$11,895. [139.18]

Hewlett-Packard announces the HP 9000 Model 725/50 workstation. It features 50-MHz PA-RISC processor, 4-slots, grayscale monitor, 512 MB hard drive, 16 MB RAM, for US$17,895. [37.15] [139.18]
December

Novell buys UNIX Systems Laboratories from AT&T, gaining all rights to the UNIX source code, for US$150 million. [14] (December 1993 [45.141]) (January 1993 [70.1]) (US$350 million [117.99])
December 31

Workstation market share for the year: HP PA-RISC 31%, Sun SPARC 25%, MIPS 20%, IBM RS/6000 12%. [183]

1993

January

Motorola begins shipping the 88110 processor, over two years since its initial announcement. Initial speed is 40-MHz, for US$360 in 1000 unit quantities. A 50-MHz version will cost US$495. [182] [179] (about August [191])

Rich Page, co-founder of NeXT, and vice-president of hardware, resigns from the company. [110.345]

Xaos Tools releases Pandemonium image processor for the Silicon Graphics workstation. Price is US$3950. [138.81]
(month unknown)

IBM introduces the PowerStation M20 2D color graphics workstation. Features include 17-inch color display with Power Gt1 graphics adapter, 16 MB RAM, SCSI controller, keyboard, mouse, Ethernet adapter, one MicroChannel bus slot. Price is US$3995. [138.22]

IBM introduces the PowerStation 355 workstation. Features include 42-MHz processor, 16 MB RAM, IBM 6091 color display, graphics adapter. Price is US$15,995. [138.22]

IBM introduces the PowerStation 365 workstation. Features include 50-MHz processor, 16 MB RAM, IBM 6091 color display, graphics adapter. Price is US$19,525. [138.22]

IBM introduces the PowerStation 375 workstation. Features include 62-MHz processor, 32 MB RAM, 19-inch 1280x1024 IBM 6091 color display, graphics adapter. Price is US$25,225. [138.22]
February

Digital Equipment announces the 200-MHz Alpha 21064 processor. [87.64]

IBM announces nine new systems in its RS/6000 line, priced between US$4000 and US$25000. [9] [30.88]

Sun Microsystems ships the 50-MHz Sun SuperSPARC processor. [90.134]

Steve Jobs fires NeXT co-president Peter van Cuylenburg. [110.348]

NeXT announces that it will drop its hardware line, to focus on becoming a larger player in the object-oriented software industry. Approximately 50,000 NeXT machines were built in total. It will lay off 330 of its 500 employees. [10] [42.289] [46] [83.73] [110.4] [114.40] [138.12]
March

In Paris, France, IBM shows an IBM RS/6000 workstation with a PowerPC processor running Apple Macintosh software. [222.46]

Sun Microsystems, Novell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and the Santa Cruz Operation announce that they will work together toward a unified UNIX operating system standard. [110.349] (April [211.40])
May 10

The SunWorld ’93 exposition is held in San Francisco, California. [151]
May

MIPS Technologies announces availability of the 150-MHz 64-bit R4400 RISC microprocessor. [48] (June [90.134])

Fujitsu buys Ross Technology from Cypress for US$23 million. [154]

NeXT ships NeXTSTEP v3.1 for Intel-based PCs. [42.289] [114.40]

IBM introduces the RS/6000 POWERstation and POWERserver 230, 23S, 23T, and 23W computers, with a 45.5-MHz CPU. [102.1]

SunSelect announces the Windows Application Binary Interface (WABI). This interface would allow software written for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix systems. [114.62]

Texas Instruments announces availability of the SuperSPARC+ processor. It is manufactured using a 0.7 micron BiCMOS process. Price is US$1199 for 50-MHz and US$899 for 40-MHz parts, in 1000 unit quantities. [153] [155]

Sun Microsystems introduces and ships the SparcStation 10 Model 512MP, with 50-MHz SuperSparc+ CPUs. Speed ratings are 65-68 SpecInt92 and 80-85 SpecFP92. Price is US$33745. [122.29]

Sun Microsystems introduces and ships the SparcStation 10 Model 30LC, with a 36-MHz CPU, and 16-inch color monitor. Price is US$15,995. [122.29]

Sun Microsystems introduces and ships the SparcStation 10 Model 40, with a 40-MHz CPU, 36 KB on-chip cache, 32 MB RAM, and 1 GB hard disk. Price is US$20,745. [122.29]

Sun Microsystems introduces and ships the SparcStation 10 Model 402MP, with dual 40-MHz CPUs, 36 KB on-chip cache per CPU, 32 MB RAM, and 1 GB hard disk. Price is US$24,745. [122.29]

Sun Microsystems introduces and ships the SparcStation 10 Model 51, with a 50-MHz CPU, 36 KB on-chip cache, 1 MB external cache, 64 MB RAM, and 1 GB hard disk. Price is US$27,745. [122.29]
(month unknown)

MIPS Technologies announces the R4200 processor. It is designed to run Windows NT at twice the speed of an Intel 486 processor. NEC will produce the chip, which should be available for sale by mid-1994. [154]
June

Digital Equipment ships the 200-MHz Alpha 21064 processor. [90.134]
(month unknown)

Weitek announces the 80-MHz clock-doubled SPARC Power upgrade processor for SPARCstation 2 systems. Price is US$1500 each. [155]
July

Texas Instruments begins shipping the 60-MHz SuperSPARC+ processor. Price is about US$1000 in 1000 unit quantities. [182] [155]

Data General announces availability of a new line of Aviion workstations based on the Motorola 88110 processor. [155]

IBM introduces the RS/6000 POWERstation and POWERserver 34H computers. They feature 41.6-MHz CPU, 16 MB RAM, 400 MB hard drive, and 32 KB cache. [101.2]

IBM releases AIX v3.2.4 for the RS/6000. [101.3]
August

Digital Equipment begins volume shipments of the 200-MHz Alpha processor. [180]

IBM demos its first PowerPC RS/6000 workstation, using a 95-MHz PowerPC 601 processor. [11] [93.35]

Sun Microsystems ships the 60-MHz Sun SuperSPARC processor. [90.134]

Ross Technology begins shipping 55-MHz and 66-MHz hyperSPARC processors. Price in 1000 unit quantities is US$895 and US$1595, respectively. [180] [182]
September

IBM debuts and ships its first PowerPC-based RS/6000 systems, the RS/6000 POWERserver 25S, POWERserver/station 250, POWERstation 25T and 25W, all using the 66-MHz PowerPC 601 chip. [12.1] [43.191] [100.39] [103.1] [132.81] [169] (October [41.272] [90.134])

IBM announces the Power2 processor, at clock speeds of up to 71.5-MHz. It incorporates over 23 million transistors in eight separate chips for integer unit, floating point unit, 32 KB instruction cache unit, and four 64 KB data cache units. Performance is 126 SPECint92, 260 SPECfp92. [103.2] [169]

IBM announces the RS/6000 Model 990 computer. It features 71.5-MHz Power2 processor, CD-ROM drive, 15 Micro Channel slots. Prices start at US$124,500. Performance is rated at 126 SPECint92, 260 SPECfp92. [103.2] [169]

IBM announces the RS/6000 Model 590 computer. It features 66-MHz Power2 processor, 64 MB RAM, 2 GB hard drive, CD-ROM drive, seven Micro Channel slots. Price is US$72,500. Performance is rated at 117 SPECint92, 242 SPECfp92. [103.2] [169]

IBM announces the RS/6000 Model 58H computer. It features 55.5-MHz Power2 processor, 64 MB RAM, 2 GB hard drive, CD-ROM drive, seven Micro Channel slots. Price is US$62,500. Performance is rated at 98 SPECint92, 204 SPECfp92. [103.2] [169]

Digital Equipment announces the 166-MHz DECchip 21066 processor. It features 64 bit superscalar CPU and FPU, 8 KB instruction cache, 8 KB data cache, memory interface for SRAM, DRAM, and VRAM, and PCI bus interface. Price is US$424 in 1000 unit quantities. Performance is estimated at 70 SPECint92 and 105 SPECfp92. [168]

75 computer companies, including all major UNIX players, agree to adopt the Spec 1170 definition of UNIX, specifying a single set of 1170 API calls. [118.36]
October

Novell transfers the UNIX trademark to the international X/Open standards organization. [118.36]
(month unknown)

Sales of Sun 600MP systems worldwide: 13,000. [180]

Sales of Sun SPARCstation 10 systems worldwide: 100,000. [180]
October

Sun Microsystems ships the 85-MHz and 110-MHz MicroSPARC II processors. [90.134]

At the Microprocessor Forum, Digital Equipment announces the 21064A Alpha processor, capable of 275-MHz. It is manufactured using a 0.5 micron CMOS process. Dual cache sizes are 16 KB for data and instructions. Pricing is US$965 for 225-MHz, and US$1586 for 275-MHz, in 1000 unit quantities. [170]

At the Microprocessor Forum, IDT and Toshiba announce the R4600 processor. Initial version is 100-MHz, at a cost of US$240 in 10,000 unit quantities. Code name during development was Orion. [170]
(month unknown)

At the Hot Chips conference, Hitachi unveils its HARP-1 processor (Hitachi Advanced RISC Processor). It is designed to run at 120-MHz. It was created using a 0.5 micron BiCMOS process, incorporating 2.8 million transistors. Approximate performance: 70 SPECint92 and 110 SPECfp92. It follows the PA-RISC architecture, licensed from Hewlett-Packard. [167]

Sun Microsystems announces the microSPARC-2 processor. Speed is 70-MHz. 0.5 micron CMOS process is used. 24 KB cache. 2 million transistors. [180]
November 22

Steve Jobs announces that NeXT will port its NextStep operating system to the SPARC architecture. Sun Microsystems chairman Scott McNealy announces plans to invest US$10 million in NeXT, and use its software in future Sun systems. [181] [211.40]
November

At Comdex, MIPS Technologies demonstrates a system running a 200-MHz R4400 processor. [181]

At Comdex, Digital Equipment demonstrates a system running a 320-MHz 21064A Alpha processor. [181]

At Comdex, several systems vendors announce or demonstrate Windows NT systems powered by Alpha or MIPS processors. [181]
December 10

SunSoft (a subsidiary of Sun Microsystems) ships the first version of WABI, providing Microsoft Windows application compatibility on Solaris, Intel, and Sparc versions of UNIX. [13] [211.40]
December

Hewlett-Packard announces the 125-MHz PA-7150 processor. [182] [182]
December 31

Worldwide shipments of workstations: 621,919. [22]

Workstation market share for the year: HP PA-RISC 34%, Sun SPARC 23%, MIPS 20%, IBM RS/6000 11%. [183]

1994

January

Silicon Graphics founder and chairman James Clark resigns. [115.68] [221.32] (February [79.9])
February

Digital Equipment produces the first test version of the 21164 processor. [186]
(month unknown)

Apple Computer ships Macintosh Application Environment 1.0 for the HP-UX operating system with the Motif interface, and the Solaris operating system with the OpenLook interface. [72.37]

Hewlett-Packard unveils its PA-7200 processor design. It is manufactureed with a 0.55 micron CMOS process, allowing up to 140-MHz clock speeds. [55]
March

Sun Microsystems announces the SparcStation 5, with 70-MHz or 85-MHz MicroSparc II processor. [106.161]

Sun Microsystems announces the SparcStation 20, with up to four 50-MHz or two 60-MHz SuperSparc processors. [106.161]

MIPS Technologies ships the 100-MHz R4600 RISC microprocessor. [90.134]

Digital Equipment ships the 66-MHz Alpha 21068 processor. [90.134]

Digital Equipment ships the 166-MHz Alpha 21066 processor. Performance is rated at 70 SPECint92. [90.134] [85]
(month unknown)

Sun Technology Business announces initial samples of the 85-MHz and 100-MHz MicroSparc-2 processor. [62]

Microsoft releases FoxPro 2.6 for UNIX. [81.6] [105.28]

Ross Technology announces 80, 90, and 100-MHz HyperSparc processors, using Fujitsu’s 0.5 micron CS-50 process. Internal cache is 128 or 256 KB. [66]
May

MIPS Technologies announces availability of samples of the 200-MHz 64-bit R4400 RISC microprocessor. [48]
(month unknown)

International Meta Systems files a patent application for technology that enables a RISC processor to emulate other instruction sets. [106.38]

The IEEE Computer Society officially adopts SPARC as a standard, labelled 1754-1994. This is the first microprocessor architecture standard adopted by the IEEE, and took four years. [85]

IBM introduces the RS/6000 Model 41T computer. It features an 80-MHz PowerPC 601 processor. Base price is US$11,200. Performance is 79 SPECint92 and 90 SPECfp92. [85]

Hewlett-Packard introduces the HP 7000 Model 715/100 computer. It features a 100-MHz 7100LC processor, 32 MB RAM, 525 MB hard drive, 17 inch color monitor. Price is US$19,000. Performance is 101 SPECint92 and 137 SPECfp92. [85]

Hewlett-Packard introduces the HP 7000 Model 712/80 computer. It features a 80-MHz 7100LC processor. Performance is 121 SPECfp92. [85]

Intel and Hewlett-Packard announce a partnership to develop a 64-bit CPU architecture designed to replace the current x86 and PA-RISC architectuures. [49]

Digital Equipment introduces the 233-MHz Alpha 21064A processor. Price is US$867 in 1000 unit quantities. It replaces the 225-MHz version. [49]
June 13

SunWorld ’94 is held in San Francisco. [63]
June

Hal Computer Systems achieves first working prototype of a 64-bit SPARC-based processor. [188]

MIPS Technologies ships the 75-MHz R8000 RISC microprocessor. [90.134]

MIPS Technologies ships the 133-MHz R4600 RISC microprocessor. [90.134]

MIPS Technologies ships the 200-MHz 64-bit R4400 RISC microprocessor. [90.134]
(month unknown)

IDT announces sample availability of the 150-MHz R4600 processor. Performance is 104 SPECint92 and 81 SPECfp92. Price is US$325 in 1000 unit quantities. [123]
July

IBM ships AIX 4.1 for the RS/6000, and AIX for the Power Macintosh. [58.12] [132.80]

Digital Equipment ships its AXP 21064A 64-bit 275-MHz Alpha RISC processor in volume quantities, for US$1192 in 1000 unit quantities. The processor features dual 16 KB internal caches. [15] [88.261] [90.134] [133]

Digital Equipment ships the 225-MHz Alpha 21064A processor. [90.134]
August 14

The Hot Chips conference is held in Palo Alto, California. [123]
August

At the Hot Chips conference, Digital unveils the 21164 Alpha processor. It features two integer units, a floating-point addition logic unit, a floating point multiplier, 8 KB data cache, 8 KB instruction cache, and 96 KB secondary cache. Target operating frequency is 300-MHz. Code name during development was EV-5. [133] [134]
September

Sun Microsystems announces the 64-bit UltraSparc processor. Target clock speed is 167-MHz. The chip is the first to implement the SPARC v9 architecture, and incorporates two integer units, and five units for floating point and graphics calculations. [47] [152]

Digital Equipment Corporation formally introduces its next-generation Alpha AXP processors, including a 300-MHz version that can execute 1 billion instructions per second. [16] [53]
October

At the Microprocessor Forum, MIPS Technologies announces the R10000 RISC microprocessor. [48] [158]

Sun Microsystems produces the first test version of the UltraSparc processor. [186]
(month unknown)

SPARC Technology Business (a subsidiary of Sun Microsystems) begins shipment of samples of the 75-MHz SuperSparc-2 processor. Price is US$999 in 1000 unit quantities. [184]
November

At Comdex, Digital Equipment announces the 21066A processor, a 0.5-micron version of the Alpha 21066 processor, operating 40% faster than the previous version. Speeds announced are 166-MHz and 233-MHz. Price is US$396 in 1000 unit quantities. [185]

Digital Equipment introduces the AlphaStation 200 4/166, featuring a 166-MHz 64-bit Alpha AXP 21064 processor, and PCI bus, for US$6995. [129.14] [17]

Digital Equipment introduces the AlphaStation 200 4/233, featuring a 233-MHz 64-bit Alpha AXP 21064 processor, and PCI bus, for US$11,750. [129.14] [17]

Digital Equipment introduces the AlphaStation 400 4/233, featuring a 233-MHz 64-bit Alpha AXP 21064 processor, and PCI bus, for US$12,595. [129.14] [17]

Digital Equipment introduces the AlphaServer 1000 4/200, for US$15,970. [129.14]

Digital Equipment introduces the AlphaServer 2000 4/200, for US$18,070. [129.14]

Digital Equipment introduces the AlphaServer 2100 4/275, for US$21,940. [129.14]

Digital Equipment introduces the DEC 7000 Model 700 multiprocessor enterprise server, for US$120,000. [129.14]

Sun Microsystems announces the SparcStation 20 Model HS11 computer. It features a 100-MHz HyperSparc processor from Ross Technology, 32 MB RAM, and 1 GB hard drive. Performance is 105 SPECint92, 128 SPECfp92. Price is US$18,695. [17] [184]
December 31

During the year, Worldwide shipments of workstations: 779,385. [22]

During the year, Commercial computer animation market: 63.5% PC, 16.5% workstation (Unix), 20% Macintosh. [125.14]

1995

January

Sun Microsystems ships the 85-MHz Sun SuperSPARC II processor. [90.135]

Digital Equipment ships the Alpha 21164 processor running at 266-MHz. [90.135]
February

At the International Solid State Circuits Conference, Hal Computer Systems announces its first microprocessor, the Sparc64, implementing the 64-bit SPARC V9 architecture. Performance estimates are 256 SPECint92 and 330 SPECfp92. [188]
(month unknown)

SunSoft releases Wabi 2.0 for Solaris 2 operating system. Wabi supports Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11 applictions, but not Windows for Workgroups or MS-DOS. [160.148]
March

Digital Equipment ships the 166-MHz and 233-MHz Alpha 21066A processors. [90.135]

Digital Equipment ships the 300-MHz Alpha 21164 processor. [90.135]
(month unknown)

SPARC Technology Business ships 110-MHz MicroSparc-2 processor. Price is US$649 in 1000 unit quantities. [189]
May

MIPS Technologies ships the 90-MHz R8000 RISC microprocessor. [90.135]

SPARC announces sample availability of the 64-bit UltraSPARC microprocessor. [47] [189] (March [90.135])
May 23

Sun Microsystems launches Java at SunWorld. [143.102]
June

Data General announces that future Aviion workstations will use Intel processors, not Motorola’s 88x00 processor family. [69.61] [190]

NEC Technologies begins shipping the RISCStation 2200, with 64 MB RAM, 1 GB hard drive, dual 200-MHz processors, running Windows NT, for under US$11,000. [124.21]
July

Silicon Graphics introduces Indigo2 Impact workstation. [115.69]

MIPS Technologies ships the 250-MHz R4400 RISC microprocessor. [90.135]
(month unknown)

The System Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) announces the SPEC95 benchmark suite for Unix systems. The suite is scheduled for release in October, for US$600 to new customers. [191]
September

Novell sells UNIXWare and the rights to the UNIX operating system to The Santa Cruz Operation for US$145 million. [59.24] [73.12] [136.36] (1994 October [44.4]) (1995 December [80.25] [92.A4]) (US$60 million [44.4])
(month unknown)

Sun Microsystems announces the 182-MHz UltraSparc processor. Performance is estimated at 260 SPECint92 and 410 SPECfp92. Price is US$1595 in 1000 unit quantities. [192]

Digital Semiconductor announces the 300-MHz 21064A processor. Performance is estimated at 220 SPECint92 and 300 SPECfp92. [192]

Digital Semiconductor announces the 330-MHz 21164 processor. Performance is estimated at 400 SPECint92 and 570 SPECfp92. [192]
October

Sun Microsystems ships the 143-MHz and 167-MHz versions of the UltraSPARC processor. [60.38] [90.135]

Digital Equipment announces its Alpha 21164 processor running at 333-MHz. Performance is 400 SPECint92. [18] [53] [193]

At the Microprocessor Forum, Digital announces a 417-MHz 21164A processor. It is manufactured using a 0.35 micron process. Performance is 500 SPECint92. [193]
November

SPARC Technology Business, a division of Sun Microsystems, Inc., announces the sampling of the 200-MHz 64-bit UltraSPARC-I microprocessor. [53]

Sun Microsystems introduces new Ultra 1 and Ultra 2 workstations, based on the 64-bit UltraSparc microprocessor. Initial speeds are 143-, 167-, and 200-MHz, with prices ranging from US$16,500 to US$60,000. [44.1] [47] [84.49] [91.52]

Hewlett-Packard announces the Model C110 workstation. [91.52]
December

Digital Equipment ships the 300-MHz Alpha 21064A processor. [90.135]

Digital Equipment ships the 333-MHz Alpha 21164 processor. [90.135]

1996

January

Silicon Graphics introduces InfiniteReality, an Indigo2 workstation based on the MIPS Technologies R10000 microprocessor. [56.1] [91.53]
February

MIPS Technologies ships the 200-MHz R5000 RISC microprocessor. [90.136]
March

Digital Equipment unveils 366-MHz and 400-MHz versions of its Alpha microprocessor. [75.8]

MIPS Technologies ships the 200-MHz R10000 RISC microprocessor. [90.136]

Silicon Graphics buys Cray Research, at a cost of about US$765 million. [68.1] [75] [78.3] [115.69]
April

Silicon Graphics completes its purchase of Cray Research, for US$764 million. [77.1]
June

SunSoft releases Wabi 2.2 (Windows Applications Binary Interface) allowing SPARC processor-based computers to run Windows applications. [86.19]

Digital Equipment ships 366-MHz and 400-MHz versions of its Alpha 21164 microprocessor. [75.8] [90.136]
(month unknown)

Digital Equipment announces availability of the 500-MHz Alpha 21164 processor. The chip uses a 0.35-micron die. [94.1]
July

Digital Equipment begins shipping the 433-MHz Alpha 21164 processor. [82.16]
August

Compaq Computer launches a dedicated workstation division. [198.152]
October

Silicon Graphics introduces the O2 workstation computer, replacing the Indy series. It features 64-bit 180-MHz Mips R5000 processor, 10/100 Base-T Ethernet, PCI slots, two wide UltraSCSI channels, 128 MB RAM, 512 KB Level 2 cache, two 2 GB SCSI hard drive, 17 inch monitor, external floppy drive. Price is about US$8300. [115.70] [171.41] [221.28]

Compaq Computer enters the workstation computer market with the announcement of the Professional Workstation line of Pentium Pro based systems. [197.9] [199.30]
December

Digital Equipment begins shipping 500-MHz Alpha 21164 processors. [126.76]

1997

January

Silicon Graphics introduces the Octane workstation. [115.71]
(month unknown)

Digital Semiconductor introduces the 64-bit Alpha 21164PC processor. It features 16 KB instruction cache, dual integer units, dual floating point units, L2 cache controller, and 8 KB data cache. The processor was co-designed by Digital and Mitsubishi, and incorporates 3.5 million transistors in a 0.35 CMOS process. Speed and price in 1000 unit quantities is 400-MHz (US$295), 533-MHz (US$495). Performance of the 533-MHz processor is 1066 MFLOPS, 2133 MIPS. [157.59]
May

Digital Equipment files a lawsuit against Intel, claiming infringement of 10 Digital Equipment patents related to the Alpha RISC microprocessor in Intel’s Pentium Pro and Pentium II processors. [97.3] [104.6]
(month unknown)

Sun Microsystems releases the Solaris 2.6 operating system for SPARC processor-based computers. [144.265]
December 31

Workstation shipments in Canada during the year: Hewlett-Packard 14,000, Sun Microsystems 8,000. [159.30]

1998

January 31

Compaq Computer ships its 100,000th workstation computer. [197.9]
(month unknown)

Digital Equipment announces it plans to release a 1 GHz Alpha 21264 processor in two years. [142.35]
September

Sun Microsystems announces a SunPCi co-processor card for Sun workstations. SunPCi uses a 300-MHz AMD K6-2 processor, runs Windows 95 or 98, and fits in a PCI slot. [120.8]
(month unknown)

Sun Microsystems releases the Solaris 7.0 operating system. [119.8]

Sun Microsystems releases the Solaris 7.0 operating system for SPARC computers. Price is US$695 for a 5-user license. [200.75]

1999

April

Silicon Graphics Incorporated changes its company name to SGI. [131.6]
August

EMC announces plans to buy Data General for about US$1.1 billion. [178.12]

Compaq Computer ceases development work on 32-bit Windows NT for the Alpha processor. [177.4]

Microsoft announces it will not release any more products for the Alpha platform. [177.23]
(month unknown)

Sun Microsystems acquires Star Division Corporation. [204.9]
September

IBM introduces AIX version 4.3.3. [162.4]
(month unknown)

Workstation shipments during the year: Dell 238,184; Sun Microsystems 322,541; Hewlett-Packard 312,031; Compaq Computer 208,268; IBM 217,774; others 193,686. [196.20]

2000

(month unknown)

In New York, Sun Microsystems announces the UltraSPARC III processor. The processor incorporates 29 million transistors. Speeds availble are 600, 750, and 900-MHz. [194.1]

Sun Microsystems introduces the Sun Blade workstation, featuring 600, 750, or 900-MHz UltraSPARC processor. [194.14]

Workstation shipments during the year: Dell 381,718; Sun Microsystems 358,909; Hewlett-Packard 289,674; Compaq Computer 230,248; IBM 176,264; others 215,439. [196.20]