100
GREATEST OF ALL TIME40 MAXIMUMPC DECEMBER 2007
15
MS-DOS (1980) So simplistic it
was originally called QDOS (Quick
and Dirty Operating System), MS-DOS
was critical for introducing computing to
the mainstream without the vast complex-
ity of UNIX and mainframe OSes.14
INTEL 486DX (1989) The addi-
tion of an on-chip cache, FPU,
and, most importantly, instruction pipelining
ushered in a chip architecture that would
endure until the multicore era. This chip was
produced all the way until September 2007.13
802.11B (1999) The industry
had toyed with wireless technolo-
gies during the late ’90s, but the advent of
802.11b fi nally provided a cable-free net-
working system with enough bandwidth
and range to begin the inexorable shift
away from Ethernet.12
MOUSE (1963) Stanford’s Douglas
Engelbart developed the original
mouse during the 1960s, fi nally patenting
it in 1970. Xerox added a ball in 1972, then
Apple stole it and the
rest is history.11
MP3 (1991) This lossy com-
pressed audio format got the
digital media revolution started. Despite
numerous competitors, it’s still the only
universally supported music format.10
DIRECTX (1995) Microsoft’s
graphics API has evolved from
a tricky method to fool Windows into
playing games into a sophisticated,
industry-standard PC graphics platform.
Yes, that Microsoft.9
DOOM (1993) Never mind
Wolfenstein 3D, it was Doom that put
3D PC gaming on the map—so to speak.
The game is so insanely popular it’s been
ported to just about every platform imag-
inable, from cell phones to workstations.8
IBM 5150 (1981) With 16KB of
RAM and up to two internal 5.25-
inch fl oppy drives, the 5150 was the fi rst
modern PC. While it was priced out of
reach of most consumers, the technol-
ogy (obviously) endured. Many 5150s
are still
running
today.7
HAYES SMARTMODEM
(1981) Hayes pioneered con-
sumer modems, which let patient PC
users speak to other PCs in the pre-
broadband days. Though few people
use them anymore, they’re still inte-
grated into virtually every desktop
and laptop.6
QUAKE (1996) Earlier titles like
Doom (see #9) and Duke Nukem 3D
hinted at what the future of gaming would
look like, but Quake fi nally fulfi lled the
promise, replacing 2D sprites and maps
with real 3D models and environments.