Internet 1998

From CSI Wiki Farm

• The IETF releases the next generation IP (IPng) IPv6 Protocol definition in RFC 2460
• The first IPv6 exchange: 6tap is established
• US Department of Commerce (DoC) releases the Green Paper outlining its plan to privatize DNS on 30 January. This is followed up by a White Paper on June 5.
• La Fête de l'Internet, a country-wide Internet fest, is held in France 20-21 March
  

  

  La Fête de l'Internet icon used in 1998
• Google (Google Technology Incorporated) is founded, opens its first office, in California after receiving funding from Sun Microsystem's Andy Bechtolsheim.
• VMware was founded by Diane Greene, Mendel Rosenblum, Scott Devine, Edward Wang and Edouard Bugnion. Greene and Rosenblum, who are married, first met while at the University of California, Berkeley.
• Gigabit Ethernet is standardized.
• Web size estimates range between 275 (Digital) and 320 (NEC) million pages for 1Q
• Companies flock to the Turkmenistan NIC in order to register their name under the .tm domain, the English abbreviation for trademark
• Internet users get to be judges in a performance by 12 world champion ice skaters on 27 March, marking the first time a television sport show's outcome is determined by its viewers
• Weblogs begin to appear.
• Juniper Networks announces its operating system, JUNOS, with a modular architecture that would make for high reliability. It also issues its first product, the M40 router with OC-48 interfaces, which quickly spikes the company's revenues to $102.6 million in 1999 and grabs the company 15% of the market.
• XML becomes a 3WC recommendation on February 10.
• Network Solutions registers its 2 millionth domain on 4 May
• Precept (first IPTV software) was acquired by Cisco Systems in 1998. Cisco retains the IP/TV trademark.
• Cisco's market capitalization passes the $100 billion mark.
• Bay Networks acquires New Oak Communications (January) Provided VPN technology to Bay Networks product line and Netsation Corp. (February) Technology was used to augment Bay Networks Optivity network management system.
• Bay Networks was acquired by Nortel in June for $9.1 billion, broadening Nortel's reach from its traditional carrier customer base into enterprise data networking. Reflective of this expanded product set and market, Nortel renamed itself Nortel Networks after the merger.
• Electronic postal stamps become a reality, with the US Postal Service allowing stamps to be purchased and downloaded for printing from the Web
• Canada kicks off CA*net 3, the first national optical internet
• Compaq pays US$3.3million for altavista.com while CDA II and a ban on Net taxes are signed into US law (21 October)
• Internet radio company AudioNet started the first continuous live webcasts with content from WFAA-TV in January and KCTU-LP on January 10.
• ABCNews.com accidentally posts test US election returns one day early (2 November)
• Indian ISP market is deregulated in November causing a rush for ISP operation licenses
• US DoC enters into an agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Numbers (ICANN) to establish a process for transitioning DNS from US Government management to industry (25 November)
• San Francisco sites without off-city mirrors go offline as the city blacks out on 8 December
• Chinese government puts Lin Hai on trial for "inciting the overthrow of state power" for providing 30,000 email addresses to a US Internet magazine (December) [He is later sentenced to two years in jail]
• French Internet users give up their access on 13 December to boycott France Telecom's local phone charges (which are in addition to the ISP charge) while Open Source software comes of age
• America Online surpasses 15 million members, launches AOL Australia, and is added to the S&P 500. Sun Microsystems takes over Netscape's server software development parts under a strategic parternship known as iPlanet. The browser project Mozilla goes freeware.
• America Online acquires CompuServe and online messaging pioneer ICQ.
• The Universal Music Group is formed when Canadian Seagram Company Ltd. acquires PolyGram. Deutsche Grammophon (cf 1898) is now part of Universal Classics.
• GEC-Marconi Limited (cf 1987) is renamed Marconi Electronic Systems Limited.
• Asia's first CDMA cellular network is installed in Singapore by Cable & Wireless.
• Yahoo! ends the year with 50 million unique members, 18 world properties and completes its first profitable year.
• First satellite phone call made over Globalstar's system.

• WorldCom merges with MCI Communications.
• Hotbot is acquired by Lycos, but continues to run as a separate service.
• December 3, Visioneer, based in Fremont, California, maker of small systems scanners and scanning software PaperPort announces the acquisition of ScanSoft, Inc. from Xerox. ScanSoft, Inc., founded in 1993 and headquartered in Peabody, Massachusetts, is the maker of the TextBridge software for optical character recognition (OCR) (cf March 13, 2000). Visioneer's scanner hardware business, including the Visioneer brand name, is sold to Taiwan-based Primax Electronics Ltd., finalized on January 7, 1999.
• December, two segments (8 and 9) of the SEA-ME-WE 3 (South-East Asia - Middle East - Western Europe 3) cable is installed. Segment S9 carries 2 x 20 Gbps over 1600 km between Penmarc'h, France and Sesimbra, Portugal. Segment S8 carries 2 x 20 Gbps over 5300 km between Sesimbra, Portugal; Tetuan, Morocco; Mazara, Italy; Chania, Greece; Marmaris, Turkey; Yeroskipos, Cyprus; and Alexandria, Egypt.
• December, Compaq receives PC Magazine's "Best of '98" award in the corporate PC category for its Deskpro EN Series 450 model.
• November 24, America Online announces it will acquire Netscape Communications Corporation in a stock transaction valued at $4.2 Billion.
• November, Compaq co-develops with Panasonic world's first high definition digital television tuner-decoder for personal computers.
• November, Compaq launches Prosignia brand and direct selling program for small and medium businesses.
• November, Be introduces BeOS Release 4.
• November, Compaq introduces world's first broadband-ready Internet PCs with Pinacor, Inc.
• November 11, America Online acquires Personalogic, Inc.
• October, Compaq affirms commitment to OpenVMS with introduction of OpenVMS Galaxy architecture and major OpenVMS enhancements.
• October, Compaq announces major enhancements to AltaVista search engine, including new searching techniques and features.
• October 1, Global Crossing announces the Pan European Crossing, a fiber optic network directly linking 18 European cities with the United States, Asia and Latin America.
• September, Compaq introduces the space-saving, full-featured, high-performance rack server, the ProLiant 1850R.
• September, Compaq acquires rights to AltaVista domain name.
• September, Compaq unveils initiative with Microsoft to make Digital UNIX more interoperable with Windows NT; propels the operating system into a premier role in the enterprise data center.
• August, at the introduction, Apple Computer's curvy, teal-and-translucent iMac was hailed as a revolution in computer design, having a 233 MHz PowerPC 750 CPU, 64 bit datapath, 1 MB ROM, RAM expandable to 256 MB, no floppy, 4 GB built-in hard disk, built-in 24-speed CD-ROM, built-in 15" 1024x768 color monitor, 16 bit stereo sound, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet. Priced at $1,299.
• July, Compaq launches industry's first Web-based enterprise management program.
• June 29, introduction of the Intel Pentium II Xeon processor, operating at 400 MHz, having 7.5 million transistors, 100 MHz bus, 64 bit system bus, intended for use in midrange and higher servers and workstations.
• June 25, Windows 98 is the first version of Windows designed specifically for consumers. PCs are common at work and home, and Internet cafes where you can get online are popping up. Windows 98 is described as an operating system that “Works Better, Plays Better.” With Windows 98, you can find information more easily on your PC as well as the Internet. Other improvements include the ability to open and close programs more quickly, and support for reading DVD discs and universal serial bus (USB) devices. Another first appearance is the Quick Launch bar, which lets you run programs without having to browse the Start menu or look for them on the desktop. Windows 98 is the last version based on MS‑DOS.
  

  

  Windows 98

• June, Forbes listing of the world's richest people has (1) Bill Gates, Microsoft $51 billion, (2) Walton Family, Walmart $48 billion, (3) Sultan Bolkiah, Brunei $36 billion, and (4) Warren Buffet, Berkshire Hathaway $33 billion.
• June, the Open Directory is launched under the name NewHoo, and is acquired by Netscape in November 1998. This web directory is built by volunteers.
• June, Compaq unveils industry's first open-standards enterprise computer telephony modem.
• June, Compaq launches "Built For You" program, offering custom-configured PCs via in-store kiosks at participating retail locations.
• June, Compaq acquires Digital Equipment Corporation; largest acquisition in computer industry history, creating the second largest computing company in the world.
• June 8, America Online acquires Mirabilis Ltd and its ICQ instant communications and chat technology.
• May, first announcement of the Bluetooth wireless technology for personal area networks, initially developed by Ericsson, soon formed as an industry membership organization. Bluetooth operates in the license-free 2.4 GHz band and promises speeds up to 1 Mbps in ranges up to 10 meters.
• May 26, Global Crossing announces opening of the (the first segment, US to UK of the) Atlantic Crossing (AC-1) cable. It carries 20 Gbps. AC-1 is the first segment in the planned global network are PC-1, MAC, and PAC.
• May 18, Lucent is reported to have a stock value of US$ 96 billion, which is more than the US$ 93 billion value of AT&T. In 1996, AT&T was split into three parts: the current AT&T (then US$ 97 billion), Lucent (then US$ 18 billion), and NCR. This means Lucent has increased its stock value by 430 % in two years. At one time the value of AT&T was down to US$ 57 billion, but has regained most of its value.
• May 12, following Microsoft's appeal, the Court of Appeals granted a stay of the December 1997 injunction. Six days later, on May 18, 1998, the Justice Department filed a formal antitrust action charging Microsoft with attempting to monopolize the market in Internet browsers by tying the Internet Explorer to Windows.
• May 7, Japan Telecom, KDD, and NTT-WN agree together with the US and European telecommunications carriers (AT&T, Cable & Wireless, GST, GTE, MCI, PGE, Sprint, WorldCom) to integrate two projects, Japan-US Cable System and TPC-6, which had been studied individually, into one (1) new cable system named "Japan-US Cable Network" (JUSCN). The cable network is planned to go into operation from the first quarter of year 2000. (cf April 2000)
• May 6, Steve Jobs launches the iMAC computer at the Flint Auditorium of De Anza Community College in Cupertino Ca.

• May, the ACI cable is installed by Global Crossing between Brookhaven, UK; Whitesands, UK; Beverwyjk, the Netherlands; Sylt, Germany; and Brookhaven, US, a distance of 14,000 km. It carries 4 x 10 Gb/s.
• May, Compaq launches color inkjet printers for retail.
• April, CADALYST Magazine declares Compaq monitors as best in industry.
• April, Compaq introduces video conferencing kit and high-capacity diskette drive for portable PCs.
• April 15, introduction of the Intel Celeron processor, operating at 266 MHz, having 7.5 million transistors, based on a 0.25 micron process, 66MHz bus, 64 bit system bus, intended for use in low-cost PCs.
• March 18, Nokia introduces the Nokia 9110 Communicator at CeBIT, called a second generation communicator. Weighing 249 grams, this 900 MHz GSM telephone and pocket organizer with memory expandable to 4 Mbytes is announced to ship in the third quarter of 1998. Nokia claims to be the world's second largest maker of mobile phones (handheld terminal equipment).
• March, Compaq unveils new Armada SB series tailored for small businesses.
• March, BeOS Release 3 is the first version of BeOS for Intel processors.
• March, Compaq introduces line of remote access servers based on Windows NT server solutions.
• February, 16--19, at the GSM World Conference in Cannes, France, Ericsson gives world's first live demo of GPRS (general packet radio services - over GSM).
• February 2, America Online completes the acquisition of CompuServe and the sale of ANS Communications.
• February, the Gemini cable is installed by Gemini Submarine Cable System, Ltd. between Manasquan, NJ, U.S.A; Charlestown, RI, USA; Oxwich Bay, UK; and Porthcurno, UK, a distance of 12,600 km. It carries 2 x 15 Gb/s on an SDH Ring.
• January, 29th, ETSI decides on single air interface solution for the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone System), Europe's next generation mobile communications based on W-CDMA and TD-CDMA technologies.
• January 21, America Online acquires Personal Library Software.
• January, Hotmail is sold to Microsoft for $400 million. (cf July 4, 1996)
• January, Compaq announces 1997 revenues of $24.6 billion.
• January, Forbes magazine names Compaq its 1997 Company of the Year.
• RFC 2321: RITA -- The Reliable Internetwork Troubleshooting Agent; RFC 2322: Management of IP numbers by peg-dhcp; RFC 2323: IETF Identification and Security Guidelines; RFC 2324: Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol (HTCPCP/1.0)
• Country domains registered: Nauru (NR), Comoros (KM); Bandwidth Generators: Winter Olympics (Feb), World Cup (Jun-Jul), Starr Report (11 Sep), Glenn space launch
• Top 10 Domains by Host #: com, net, edu, mil, jp, us, uk ,de, ca, au
• Hacks of the Year: US Dept of Commerce (20 Feb), New York Times (13 Sep), China Society for Human Rights Studies (26 Oct), UNICEF (7 Jan)
• Technologies of the Year: E-Commerce, E-Auctions, Portals
• Emerging Technologies: E-Trade, XML, Intrusion Detection