The TI-99 Home Computer
Encyclopedia
May not be reproduced for commercial
purposes
without written permission.
Timeline 99 -- 1958 to 1979
| MAY, 1954: TI
Produces First Commercial Silicon Transistor On May 10, 1954, TI announced the commercial availability of grown-junction silicon transistors. These first silicon transistors were constructed by cutting a rectangular bar from a silicon crystal that was grown from a melt containing impurities. The impurities were chosen to pro-duce the desired current-carrying characteristics in the resulting transistor. Context The transistor was invented in December 1947, at Bell Telephone Laboratories by John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain and William Shockley. It was smaller, used less electricity and operated more reliably than vacuum tubes. TI's development of a process for "growing" pure silicon crystals resulted in the availability of low-cost, dependable silicon transistors. Additional Information Heat dissipation in complex commercial and military electronic equipment was a problem limiting the application of germanium transistors. The first silicon transistors operated with little change up to 150° C. The ability to produce low cost transistors that tolerated higher heat levels was an important factor in the transition of computers and other electronic equipment from bulky vacuum-tube systems to more compact, reliable solid-state systems. Dr. Gordon K. Teal led the development of silicon semiconductor material. The commercial production of transistors was spearheaded by Mark Shepherd. SEP 1958: In the summer of 1958, Jack St. Clair Kilby, then a new employee at Texas Instruments, came up with the idea of combining transistors, resistors, and capacitors in a single semiconductor. In September of 1958, Kilby created a working demonstration of this "monolithic" integrated circuit half the size of a paper clip. In early 1959 at Fairchild Semiconductor, Robert N. Noyce introduced the idea of building an IC with components connected by aluminum lines deposited on a silicon-oxide surface layer bonded to a plane of silicon. This landmark invention--the basic metal-oxide-silicon (MOS) structure--opened the way for mass production. Kilby continued to work on other inventions, including the first electronic hand-held calculator. He left TI in 1970 to become a consultant, professor, and independent inventor. Noyce, who had earlier left Shockley Semiconductor to cofound Fairchild Semiconductor, left Fairchild in 1968 to cofound Intel Corp. with Gordon Moore. Noyce was Intel's first president, during the period when the firm developed such innovations as dynamic RAM and the first microprocessor--the basic building blocks of PCs. At his death in 1990, he was vice chairman of Intel and CEO of Sematech, a U.S. government/industry consortium designed to develop advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology. Recognized as the coinventors of the integrated circuit, Kilby and Noyce laid the groundwork for today's electronics industry and for the PC. ??? 1974: Ted Nelson invents Hypertext. (PC Computing Oct90, p.200) APR 1976: Data East Company
is founded by Tetsuo
Fukuda on April 20, 1976 in Tokyo, Japan. JAN 1977: RCA releases Studio II, its long awaited entry into the home videogame field. Like the Fairchild Channel F and the forthcoming Atari VCS, the Studio II was programmable by inserting different game cartridges. Unlike the other machines though, Studio II played in black and white on color television sets. This would prove to be a fatal flaw in the consumer market.
FEB 1977: At the annual Toy Fair in New York, Milton Bradley announces the creation of a new electronics division that will create and market electronic toys. First out the chute for the new division was Comp IV, a game that was in essence an electronic version of the game Mastermind. SEP 1977: Arcade giant Bally Manufacturing announces the release of its Bally Professional Arcade videogame machine through its newly formed Midway Division, co-designed by Dave Nutting, using a Z-80 comprcessor. Unfortunately, the machine does not actually make it to retailer's shelves until February 1978, which was the beginning of the big crash for video games. FEB 1978: The first PC Bulletin Board System (BBS), created by Chicago, IL residents Ward Christianson and Randy Seuss, goes on line. JUN 1978: At the Consumer Electronics Show in June, Paul Breedlove, Gene Frantz, Richard Wiggins and Larry (George) Brantingham of Texas Instruments Inc. unveil the Speak & Spell, a red and yellow plastic, notebook-size learning aid that was the first device to use synthesized human speech. Four years later, the Speak & Spell would become famous as the toy that E.T. rigged up to "phone home" in Steven Spielberg's 1982 summer blockbuster, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. But from the beginning, demand was high, even at the then-high retail price of about $60, recalls Breedlove, then engineering manager for specialty calculators, who helmed the project. JUL 1978: The Apple II computer is reviewed in the July-Aug issue of David H. Ahl's Creative Computing magazine. http://www.trailingedge.com/ AUG 1978: Shortly after selling his chain of Byte Shops, Paul Terrell demonstrates the Zilog Z-80 based Exidy Sorcerer microcomputer at the Personal Computer Show in Philadelphia. The system was officially released in the spring of 1978 featuring plug in ROMpac cartridges, 12K ROM, 8K RAM a 79-key keyboard and 64 column by 30 line display. The suggested retail price is $1100. DEC 1978: Atari announces the 400 and 800 personal computers, powered by the 6502 microprocessor. During development, the 400 is code named "Candy" and the 800 "Colleen", supposedly after two buxom secretaries who worked at Atari.
JAN 1979: Microsoft moves its offices from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Bellevue, Washington. FEB 1979: TI'S NEW PERSONAL COMPUTER-Rumors are flying about Texas Instruments' impending entry into the personal computing market. The unit will reportedly use the TMS 9900 processor with 40K of read only memory circuits, will generate 20 lines of 40 characters on a standard television, will have provisions for accomodating video disk players and video tape recorders, and will have sophisticated sound production. Sources predict a mid-1979 unveiling.
MAR 1979: Despite its seemingly unpopular position in the market, Byte Magazine runs an extensive article on mapping the instruction space of the TMS 9900 microprocessor.
APR 1979:
Publishing
giant McGraw-Hill purchases Byte and onComputing magazines, adding
further
creedence to the escalation of the personal computer market.
MAY 1979:
Tandy
announces the TRS-80 Model II.
JUL 1979: Milton Bradley Corporation begins advertising for "Creative Electronic Engineers, Microcomputer Programmers and Technicians" to accomodate their expansion into the personal computer arena.
AUG 1979: Interface Age magazine reports that the first modules to be produced for the new TI-99/4 will include Connect Four, Hangman, Zero Zap and Yahtzee. The modules are to be produced for the TI-99/4 by the Milton Bradley Company. Manufacturing of the cartridges will actually take place at TI facilities in Texas.
SEP 1979: New England Electronics runs a full page ad in Byte Magazine proudly announcing the "Revolutionary TI-99/4 Personal/Educational Computer" and the fact that they have been selected as one of the distributors. Buyers are cautioned that 99/4 product availability is September/October, but is always subject to TI's dealer allocation. OCT 1979: Rodnay Zaks, the author who would give us the book, YOUR FIRST TI-99/4A PROGRAM in 1983, releases 6502 GAMES through Sybex Publishing. Zaks would ultimately write almost a dozen computer books for Z80, 6502 and TMS 9900 machines.
NOV 1979: TI MICROCOMPUTER PICTURE IN TRANSITION-Although Texas Instruments finally introduced its 99/4 personal computer system in June, it is expected to be an interim product. TI failed to get FCC approval for the original version (of the computer) and also ran into processor production difficulties which forced the introduction of a high-priced personal computer system ($1150). TI is still pursuing a rule change request with the FCC and the development of its 9985 stripped down version of its 9940 16-bit processor. TI hopes to then introduce a personal computer system for under $500 which connects to a standard color-television receiver. TI has also expanded its small business computer (99/7) marketing efforts. The 99/7, which starts at $5000, will be marketed by Moore Business Forms, through over 750 sales offices as well as through computer stores and TI's own retail outlets.
DEC 1979: Image Computer Products of Northbrook, IL announces that it will produce the TI Six-Pack, which consists of six TI BASIC games on cassette (Tournament Brick Bat #9401, Wall Street Challenge #9402, Wildcatting #9403, Strategy Pack 1 #9404, Mind Master #9405, Skill Builder 1 #9406). Aside from Milton Bradley and Scott, Foresman, which Texas Instruments themselves lined up to produce software for the 99/4, Image Computer Products becomes the first third-party software house to support the new TI computer.
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