compilation | Wang Qilong
Through "Today in History", we can look at the future from the past and change the future from the present.
Today is May 26, 2022. In 1995, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates made a speech. He believes his company missed opportunities in estimating the impact and popularity of the Internet and released a memo titled "The Internet Wave", which marks that the company will refocus on the field. In the memorandum, Gates declared that the Internet was the "most important single development" since IBM personal computers - he was given "the highest level of importance". Looking back on May 26 in the history of the Internet, what major events that affected the development of the Internet occurred on this day?
1949-26: Howard Cunningham, the inventor of Wiki, was born
Source: Wikipedia, the inventor of Wiki's concept and American computer programmer Ward Cunningham, was born on 26 May 1949. He is also one of the pioneers of design patterns and agile software methods, and is the co-author of the Agile Manifesto . Cunningham received a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary engineering from Purdue University and a master’s degree in computer science from Purdue University and created the first wiki site in 1995 at the Portland model knowledge base. This site is still operating now, dedicated to “people, projects and models” and is an “informal history of ideas in the programming language”. This original site created by Cunningham was used to categorize the development of useful software open pattern languages and software methods for extreme programming.
Cunningham mentioned that the concept of Wiki was something he thought of in the late 1980s, and he first implemented it using the HyperCard stack method. He is the author of The Wiki Way (2001) (co-authored with Bo Leuf) and is the founder of Cunningham Cunningham, Inc. He is also the president of Wyatt Software's R&D division and a leading engineer at Tektronix Computer Research Laboratory. Ward Cunningham also made many contributions to the development practice of object-oriented programming. He invented a method of agile development - extreme programming (Extreme programming). Like other agile methodologies, the essential difference between extreme programming and traditional methodologies is that it emphasizes adaptability rather than predictability.
In December 2003, Ward Cunningham joined Microsoft to work for Microsoft's "Modes and Practice" group. In October 2005, he transferred to the Eclipse Foundation. Ward Cunningham once proposed an idea that later generations called Cunningham’s law: “The best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask questions, but to post the wrong answer.” This refers to his observation that people correct wrong answers faster than answering questions. Do you agree with Cunningham’s idea? You might as well try it directly in CSDN.
Source: Wikipedia
1981 May 26: Satya Pal Asija obtained the first computer software program patent in the United States
Image source: Wikipedia
1981, Indian-born Satya Pal Asija obtained the first computer software program patent in the United States, a natural language interface program called Swift-Answer, which has a special word indexing function that is easy to retrieve, and a full-text alphanumeric storage service. Asija created the program back in 1969 and wanted to patent his program and contacted several lawyers. However, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that software patents are not established because traditional viewpoints that electronic software cannot obtain patents and can only be protected by copyright. Asija believes that having copyright alone is not enough. Copyright can only protect specific programs or code snippets, but in order to protect their ideas and ideas together, software developers need patents to be on par with hardware developers.
So, Satya Pal Asija personally took on the challenge of applying for a patent for his software and prepared to learn the law by himself. He went to law school , studied patent law , and passed the lawyer exam.Finally, he filed a Swift-Answer patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on December 30, 1974. From 1969 to 1974, it was a seven-year battle. After formally filing the patent and completing the legal process, Asija waited until 1981 to obtain US Patent No. 4270182—the first US patent for computer software programs. Five years later, he published a book about the process, How to Protect Computer Programs: A Case History Of The First Pure Software Patent.
To this day, the debate continues on whether computer software should be patented. Especially advocates of open source software, they believe that software patents will kill innovation; the US Patent and Trademark Office said it will work with these advocates to improve the quality of software patents. Some experts believe that the acquisition of software patents will expand the phenomenon of "patent rogue" like never before. Today, we are introducing the earliest software patent in the United States, but worldwide, it is actually the hometown of Alan Turing - the first application for software patent approval in the UK.
On May 21, 1962, a British man filed a British patent application entitled “A Computer Arranged for the Automatic Solution of Linear Programming Problems”. The present invention relates to effective memory management of simplex algorithms and can be implemented in pure software. The patent was awarded August 17, 1966 and is one of the first software patents in the world. In China, software patents are launched relatively late. Before 2006, software patents were basically not granted, and software and hardware must be combined when applying for a patent. With the development of network technology and software technology, my country's patent examination system is also constantly being updated. Recently, the design idea of the software itself has been allowed to apply for patents separately, rather than requiring integration with hardware. However, writing software patents is relatively difficult, requiring longer application and higher technical level.
Source: Wikipedia
May 26, 2010: Apple surpassed Microsoft to become the most valuable technology company
On May 26, 2010, Apple's market value surpassed Microsoft for the first time and became the most valuable technology company. Why is this? Back to that spring of 2010, after years of speculation and repeated "leaks", coupled with various media hypes, Apple launched a large-screen tablet media device called iPad on January 27, 2010. iPad runs the same touch operating system as iPhone, and all iPhone applications are compatible with iPad. This gives the iPad a huge library of apps when it is released. Later that year, on April 3, 2010, the iPad was officially launched in the United States. It sold over 300,000 units on its first day and 500,000 by the end of the first week. Today, on May 26, Apple's market value surpassed its rival Microsoft for the first time since 1989.
Apple did not give up on the pursuit. In June 2010, Apple released iPhone 4, introducing FaceTime for the first time for video calls, and introducing multitasking and a new non-insulated stainless steel design that acts as mobile antenna . Later that year, Apple updated its iPod series MP3 players again, introducing multi-touch iPod Nano, iPod Touch with FaceTime and iPod Shuffle with previous generations of click wheel buttons. Apple has also launched a smaller and cheaper second-generation Apple TV, allowing for renting movies and shows.
Image source: Wikipedia
On January 17, 2011, Jobs announced in an internal Apple memorandum that he would take indefinitely again to focus on his health. Although Jobs will continue to "participate in major strategic decisions", Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook serves as Jobs' daily operations at Apple. In June 2011, Jobs unexpectedly returned to the stage and launched iCloud, an online storage and synchronization service for music, photos, files and software, replacing Apple's previous MobileMe.This is the last product launch conference that Jobs attended during his lifetime. In the last few years of his life, he witnessed Apple reaching its peak, and used his last life and enthusiasm to open a new era of Apple's cloud services.
On August 24, 2011, Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple. He was replaced by Cook , and Jobs became the chairman of Apple. On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs passed away, marking the end of an era in Apple. Since then, Apple and Microsoft have been changing rankings continuously. For example, in October 2021, Microsoft successfully surpassed Apple and became the company with the highest market value in the world; and on January 3, 2022, Apple's stock price hit a new high, becoming the first company with a market value of over US$3 trillion. Although the change of ownership by the world's highest market capitalization company may be short-lived, it does highlight the changes in major forces in the global economy. How do you view these issues? Welcome to share your insights in the comment section.
[Welcome to contribute] Using history as a mirror, you can know the success or replacement. Since the development of computer science, there have been many crucial events and figures. All friends are welcome to jointly build "Today in History". Submission email: [email protected].
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