If history repeats, we should compare the AI bubble with the dot-com bubble.

“AI-powered” is the new “.com.” Startups are pitching thin wrappers — and this time, many don’t even pretend to own the tech they’re built on.

Look closer, and it’s a house of cards:

Wrappers rely on OpenAI
OpenAI relies on Microsoft
Microsoft needs NVIDIA
NVIDIA owns the chips that power it all

#AI #Bubble #TechHistory #DotCom #StartupCulture #PlatformDependency #DigitalInfrastructure

https://skooloflife.medium.com/99-of-ai-startups-will-be-dead-by-2026-heres-why-bfc974edd968

Camera flash could crash the Raspberry Pi 2! The "Xenon Death Flash" is one of tech's weirdest bugs. How a community solved it (with Blu-Tack!)

https://pmpt.us/wTMMz

On May 22, 1980, the original Pac-Man made its debut and quickly became more than just an arcade hit—it marked a milestone in computing. It demonstrated early AI with ghosts that followed distinct behavioral algorithms, pushed real-time processing on limited hardware, and showcased intuitive, user-friendly design. It also was an example of early cross-platform development. A lot of fun, and a leap forward in computing!

Es gibt die Erzählung, dass Steve Jobs mal Seymour Cray erzählte, dass Apple eine Cray besäße und benutzen würde, um Apple-Computer zu entwickeln. Der für seinen trockenen Humor bekannte Cray soll darauf entgegnet haben, dass er seine Crays auf einem Apple entwickelt. Zumindest die erste Hälfte der Geschichte ist verbrieft. Apple hat 1986 eine Cray X-MP/48 gekauft und für das Engineering benutzt: https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_appleatgaqeepstheDoldrumsAwayCrayChannelsv09n11987_1290329/mode/2up #vintagecomputing #cray #apple #techhistory #technikgeschichte

In his latest Cybercultural entry, @ricmac looks at the state of the internet in 1996: portals, e-commerce, web design trends, online music, and the emergence of web apps.

https://cybercultural.com/p/internet-1996/

USB 2.0 is 25 years old today https://www.tomshardware.com/peripherals/usb/usb-2-0-is-25-years-old-today-the-interface-standard-that-changed-the-world

Für eine größere Menge amerikanischer Elektrotechnik-Fachbücher, die vor 1964 erschienen, ist das Copyright abgelaufen und die Titel sind jetzt Public Domain. Jemand macht sich deshalb jetzt die Mühe, diese Titel zusammen zu tragen und als PDF zu scannen. Die Übersicht mit den Download-Links: http://www.tubebooks.org/technical_books_online.htm #techhistory #technikgeschichte

And then sometimes back in the 1950s, Grace Hopper invented the compiler: https://spectrum.ieee.org/from-punch-cards-to-python #vintagecomputring #retrocomputing #techhistory

New paper on the telegraph line is out! It’s a #microhistory of Strangways Springs//Pangki Warruna, exploring its evolution from a #pastoral property to a #telegraph station to a #railway stop, and how these transitions shaped innovation in #Australia

We also highlight the importance of #water in creating and sustaining these innovations (as is the case for technologies of today like #AI ).

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10761-025-00788-4

Happy 70th Birthday to Director, the world's FIRST operating system! Developed for MIT's Whirlwind I, Director automated tasks & paved the way for modern OS like Windows & Linux. A pivotal moment in computer science history! #OperatingSystem #TechHistory #Innovation #newz

https://www.techradar.com/pro/happy-birthday-director-the-first-operating-system-in-the-world-turns-70-today

On March 8, 1979, Philips unveiled the optical digital audio disc, otherwise known as a compact disc. #compactdisc #nostalgia #history #tech #techhistory

Before user-friendly distros like Ubuntu, installing Linux was brutal. In the early 90s, if you wanted Linux, you had to download it in pieces over slow connections, write it to floppy disks, and manually configure everything—including your own X server settings just to get a GUI. There were no package managers, and if you compiled the kernel wrong? You bricked your system and started over. Those who survived earned serious bragging rights.

How did places like Bell Labs know how to ask the right questions? — https://www.freaktakes.com/p/how-did-places-like-bell-labs-know
#HackerNews #BellLabs #AskingQuestions #Innovation #Research #Curiosity #TechHistory

33 years ago, people were afraid to turn on their computer. A nasty virus was going around and John McAfee predicted 5 million PCs would be affected. But I wasn't scared and in this blog post I tell you why. #retrocomputing #virusthreats #digitalfear #techhistory https://dfarq.homeip.net/remembering-michelangelo/

"In 1966 [...] five megabytes of data—a relatively small amount by today's standards—required an astounding 62,500 punched cards."

https://www.vintag.es/2025/02/5-megabytes-of-computer-data.html

In the early 1950s, software wasn’t something you bought, it was shared freely among researchers. IBM and MIT pioneered a culture where programmers exchanged code openly, laying the foundation for the Free Software Movement decades later. The term open source did not exist yet, but the philosophy was already alive.
#OpenSource #FOSS #TechHistory #SoftwareFreedom #HackerCulture

NASA's switch to Linux in space was driven by reliability, flexibility, and security concerns. The International Space Station (ISS) originally relied on Windows, but astronauts frequently encountered crashes and instability. In 2013, NASA announced that all laptops on the ISS would transition to Debian, a Linux-based operating system, to improve stability and control over software.

This change wasn’t just about reliability. Windows was much more vulnerable to malware, and in 2007, a worm named W32.Gammima.AG spread to the ISS. With Linux, NASA gained the ability to modify and customize the system for mission-critical applications without depending on proprietary software. Today, Linux powers much of NASA’s space infrastructure, from ISS systems to Mars rovers and beyond.

Es gab Zeiten, da wurden Halbleiter in der Herstellung zu Fuß von Arbeitsstation zu Arbeitsstation getragen. IBM hat das in den 1970ern schließlich automatisiert. IEEE Spectrum erzählt, wie es dazu kam, enjoy: https://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductor-fabrication #vintagecomputing #halbleiter #semiconductor #techhistory