Editing Timeline of computing 1950–1979 (section)

== 1960s ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date
! Place
! class="unsortable" | Event
|-
|1960
|US
|A working [[MOSFET]] is built by a team at Bell Labs. E. E. LaBate and E. I. Povilonis made the device; M. O. Thurston, L. A. D’Asaro, and J. R. Ligenza developed the diffusion processes, and H. K. Gummel and R. Lindner characterized the device.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=KAHNG |first=D. |date=1961 |title=Silicon-Silicon Dioxide Surface Device |url=https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814503464_0076 |journal=Technical Memorandum of Bell Laboratories |pages=583–596 |doi=10.1142/9789814503464_0076 |isbn=978-981-02-0209-5|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lojek |first=Bo |title=History of Semiconductor Engineering |date=2007 |publisher=Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg |isbn=978-3-540-34258-8 |location=Berlin, Heidelberg |page=321}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1960|1960}}
| US<br />EUR
| [[ALGOL]], first structured, procedural, programming language to be released.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1960|1960}}
| UK
| The first [[compiler-compiler]] is released.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1961|1961}}
| US
| [[APL programming language]] released by [[Kenneth E. Iverson|Kenneth Iverson]] at IBM.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1961|1961}}
| US
| The [[Transit (satellite)#The AN/UYK-1 (TRW-130) Computer|AN/UYK-1]] ([[TRW Inc.#Semiconductors and computers|TRW-130]]) computer was designed with rounded edges to fit through the hatch of [[ballistic missile submarine]]s, as part of the first [[satellite navigation system]], [[Transit (satellite)|Transit]].
|-
|1961
|US
|The [[Molecular Electronic Computer]], the first integrated circuits general-purpose computer (built for demonstration purposes, programmed to simulate a desk calculator), was built by [[Texas Instruments]] for the [[United States Air Force|US Air Force]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102646283|title=Molecular Electronic Computer brochure {{!}} 102646283 {{!}} Computer History Museum|year=1961|publisher=Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI)|language=en|access-date=2018-03-13|archive-date=2018-03-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314042854/http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102646283|url-status=live}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1962|1962}}
| UK
| [[Atlas Computer|ATLAS]] is completed by the University of Manchester team.
This machine introduced many modern architectural concepts: spooling, interrupts, pipelining, interleaved memory, virtual memory and paging. It was the most powerful machine in the world at the time of release.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1962|1962}}
| US
| Work begun on the [[LINC]], the brainchild of the MIT physicist [[Wesley A. Clark]] in May 1961. It was the first functional prototype of a computer scaled down to be optimized and priced for the individual user (about $43,600{{Snd}}{{Inflation|US|43,600|1962|fmt=eq|r=-2}}). Used for the first time at the National Institutes of Mental Health in Bethesda, [[Maryland]] in 1963. Many consider it to be the first personal computer, despite the big dimension of some elements, e.g. the memory rack.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Personal/LINC.html |title=history-computer.com: LINC |access-date=2018-01-19 |archive-date=2018-01-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114032816/http://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Personal/LINC.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1962|1962}}
| US
| [[Spacewar!]], an early and highly influential computer game, is written by [[MIT]] student [[Steve Russell (computer scientist)|Steve Russell]].
The game ran on a [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] [[PDP-1]]. Competing players fired at each other's space ships using an early version of a [[joystick]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1963|1963}}
| US
| [[Mouse (computing)|Mouse]] conceived by [[Douglas Engelbart]].{{citation needed|date=July 2013|reason=I have seen statements towards 1965, 1964, 1963 and even 1961, so this should be sorted out and sourced in better details, in particular as Telefunken offered a ball mouse in 1968 even before Engelbart. See mouse article for details.}}
The mouse was not to become popular until 1983 with [[Apple Computer]]'s [[Apple Lisa|Lisa]] and [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] and not adopted by IBM until 1987{{Snd}}although compatible computers such as the [[Amstrad]] [[PC1512]] were fitted with mice before this date.
|-
|1964
|US
|[[Paul Baran]] proposes a method for using low-cost electronics (without software switches) for digital communication of voice messages.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inductee Details – Paul Baran |url=http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=316 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906091231/http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=316 |archive-date=6 September 2017 |access-date=6 September 2017 |publisher=National Inventors Hall of Fame}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=2015-05-30|title=The real story of how the Internet became so vulnerable|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/business/2015/05/30/net-of-insecurity-part-1/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530231409/http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/business/2015/05/30/net-of-insecurity-part-1/|archive-date=2015-05-30|access-date=2020-02-18|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en-US|quote=Historians credit seminal insights to Welsh scientist Donald W. Davies and American engineer Paul Baran}}</ref> Baran published a series of briefings and papers about dividing information into "message blocks" and sending it over distributed networks between 1960 and 1964.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Baran|first=Paul|date=2002|title=The beginnings of packet switching: some underlying concepts|url=http://web.cs.ucla.edu/~lixia/papers/Baran2002.pdf|journal=IEEE Communications Magazine|language=en|volume=40|issue=7|pages=42–48|doi=10.1109/MCOM.2002.1018006|issn=0163-6804|quote=Essentially all the work was defined by 1961, and fleshed out and put into formal written form in 1962. The idea of hot potato routing dates from late 1960.|access-date=2021-10-16|archive-date=2021-10-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016191831/http://web.cs.ucla.edu/~lixia/papers/Baran2002.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=<!-- not stated --> |title=Paul Baran and the Origins of the Internet|url=https://www.rand.org/about/history/baran.html|access-date=2025-01-07|website=Rand |language=en|archive-date=2018-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923235141/https://www.rand.org/about/history/baran.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1964|1964}}
| US
| Computers built between 1964 and 1972 are often regarded as ''third-generation'' computers; they are based on the first integrated circuits{{Snd}}creating even smaller machines. Typical of such machines were the [[HP 2116A]] and [[Data General Nova]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1964|1964}}
| US
| Programming language [[PL/I]] released by IBM.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1964|1964}}
| US
| Launch of IBM System/360{{Snd}}the first series of compatible computers, reversing and stopping the evolution of separate "business" and "scientific" machine architectures; all models used the same basic instruction set architecture and register sizes, in theory allowing programs to be migrated to more or less powerful models as needs changed. The basic unit of memory, the "byte", was defined as 8 bits, with larger units such as "words" defined with sizes that were multiples of 8 bits, with many consequences. Many competing computers at the time used word sizes that were multiples of 6 bits. The marketing term "IBM Compatible" was often used, at this time, to indicate that the architecture used [[8-bit computing|8-bit]] bytes. Over 14,000 were shipped by 1968. 
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1964|1964}}
| US
| [[Project MAC]] begun at [[MIT]] by [[Joseph Licklider|J.C.R. Licklider]]: several terminals all across campus will be connected to a central computer, using a timesharing mechanism. [[Bulletin board]]s and [[email]] are popular applications.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1964|1964}}
| US
| [[Sabre (travel reservation system)|Sabre]] launched.<ref name="Kirschenbaum2013">{{citation |author=Kirschenbaum |first=Matthew |title=10 Most Influential Software Programs Ever |date=July 2013 |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/07/30/_10_most_influential_software_programs_of_all_time_from_sabre_to_minecraft.html |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=2015-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829094102/http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/07/30/_10_most_influential_software_programs_of_all_time_from_sabre_to_minecraft.html |url-status=live |location=US |archive-date=2015-08-29}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| US
| [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] [[PDP-8]] Mini Computer was released.<!-- Was it released at this time? Add "was released" if so. --> It was the first minicomputer, built by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). It cost US$18,500 ({{Inflation|US|18500|1965|fmt=eq|r=-2|cursign=about $}}).
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| US
| [[Moore's law]] published by [[Gordon Moore]]. Originally suggesting integrated circuit complexity doubled every year. It was published in the 35th Anniversary edition of [[Electronics (magazine)|''Electronics'' magazine]]. The law was revised in 1975 to suggest a doubling in complexity every two years.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| US
| [[Fuzzy logic]] designed by [[Lotfi Zadeh]] ([[University of California, Berkeley]]), it is used to process approximate data{{Snd}}such as 'about 100'.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| US
| Programming language [[BASIC]] (Beginners All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) developed at [[Dartmouth College]], US, by [[Thomas E. Kurtz]] and [[John George Kemeny]]. This was the first language designed to be used in a time-sharing environment, such as DTSS (Dartmouth Time-Sharing System), or [[GCOS (operating system)|GCOS]]. BASIC was [[Altair BASIC|implemented]] on microcomputers in 1975. 
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| UK
| [[Donald Davies]] independently invents [[packet switching]] used in modern [[computer network]]ing.<ref name="NIHF2007">{{cite web |title=Inductee Details – Donald Watts Davies |url=http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=328 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906091936/http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=328 |archive-date=6 September 2017 |access-date=6 September 2017 |publisher=National Inventors Hall of Fame}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Davies conceived of and named the concept for [[data communication]] in 1965 and 1966.<ref name="Roberts1978">{{cite web|last1=Roberts|first1=Dr. Lawrence G.|date=November 1978|title=The Evolution of Packet Switching|url=http://www.packet.cc/files/ev-packet-sw.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324033133/http://www.packet.cc/files/ev-packet-sw.html|archive-date=2016-03-24|access-date=5 September 2017|quote=Almost immediately after the 1965 meeting, Donald Davies conceived of the details of a store-and-forward packet switching system|postscript=none}}; {{cite web|last1=Roberts|first1=Dr. Lawrence G.|date=May 1995|title=The ARPANET & Computer Networks|url=http://www.packet.cc/files/arpanet-computernet.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324032800/http://www.packet.cc/files/arpanet-computernet.html|archive-date=2016-03-24|access-date=13 April 2016|quote=Then in June 1966, Davies wrote a second internal paper, "Proposal for a Digital Communication Network" In which he coined the word packet,- a small sub part of the message the user wants to send, and also introduced the concept of an "Interface computer" to sit between the user equipment and the packet network.}}</ref><ref>{{citation |author=Davies |first=Donald |title=A Historical Study of the Beginnings of Packet Switching |date=2001 |url=http://comjnl.oxfordjournals.org/content/44/3/152.extract |journal=Computer Journal, British Computer Society|volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=152–162 |doi=10.1093/comjnl/44.3.152 |url-access=subscription }}{{dead link|date=May 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Many packet-switched networks built in the 1970s, including the [[ARPANET]], were similar "in nearly all respects" to his original 1965 design.<ref name=":2">{{cite journal|last1=Roberts|first1=Dr. Lawrence G.|date=November 1978|title=The Evolution of Packet Switching|url=http://www.ismlab.usf.edu/dcom/Ch10_Roberts_EvolutionPacketSwitching_IEEE_1978.pdf|journal=IEEE Invited Paper|access-date=2017-09-17|quote=In nearly all respects, Davies’ original proposal, developed in late 1965, was similar to the actual networks being built today.|archive-date=2018-12-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231092936/http://www.ismlab.usf.edu/dcom/Ch10_Roberts_EvolutionPacketSwitching_IEEE_1978.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1965|1965}}
| US
| The first [[supercomputer]], the Control Data [[CDC 6600]], was developed.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1966|1966}}
| US
| [[Hewlett-Packard]] entered the general-purpose computer business with its [[HP 2100|HP-2116A]] for computation, offering power formerly found only in much larger computers. It supported a wide variety of languages, among them [[ALGOL]], [[BASIC]], and [[FORTRAN]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1967|1967}}
| US/CH
| Development of programming language [[Pascal (programming language)|Pascal]] begun, continued in Switzerland from 1968 to 1971.<ref>Stefan Betschon: ''Der Zauber des Anfangs – Schweizer Computerpioniere.'' In: ''Ingenieure bauen die Schweiz.'' Franz Betschon et al. (editors), pp. 376–399, Verlag Neue Zuercher Zeitung, Zurich 2013, {{ISBN|978-3-03823-791-4}}</ref> Based on ALGOL. Developed by [[Niklaus Wirth]] as a pedagogic tool. 
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1967|1967}}
| US
| The [[floppy disk]] is invented at [[IBM]] under the direction of [[Alan Shugart]], for use as a microprogram load device for the [[System/370]] and peripheral controllers.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1967-08-01|Aug 1967}}
| UK
| [[Electronics World#Computers|Wireless World]] magazine's low cost Digital Computer published in 5 parts. 8-Bit serial design demonstrator using germanium transistors.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Crank|first=Brian|date=August 1967|title=''Wireless World'' Digital Computer|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Wireless-World/60s/Wireless-World-1967-08.pdf|journal=Wireless World|language=en|volume=73|issue=8|pages=366–372}}</ref>
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968|1968}}
| US
| [[Intel]] founded by [[Robert Noyce]] and a few friends.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968|1968}}
| US
| Programming language [[Logo (programming language)|LOGO]] developed by [[Wally Feurzeig]], [[Seymour Papert]], and [[Cynthia Solomon]] at MIT.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968|1968}}
| US
| Release of [[Hewlett-Packard 9100A]], the [[programmable calculator]] (first [[scientific calculator]]) from HP. 
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968|1968}}
| US
| {{Rquote|left|But what ... is it good for?{{context inline|date=July 2021}}|Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM commenting on the microchip.}}
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968-10-02|2&nbsp;Oct 1968}}
| GER
| First computer [[ball mouse]] offered by Telefunken.<ref name="Bülow_2009_Rollkugel">{{cite web |url=http://www.heise.de/newsticker/Auf-den-Spuren-der-deutschen-Computermaus--/meldung/136901 |title=Auf den Spuren der deutschen Computermaus |trans-title=In the footsteps of the German computer mouse |language=de |publisher=Heise Verlag |date=2009-04-28 |access-date=2013-01-07 |archive-date=2013-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127230503/http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Auf-den-Spuren-der-deutschen-Computermaus-216255.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="OldMouse_Telefunken">{{cite web|url=http://www.oldmouse.com/mouse/misc/telefunken.shtml|title=Telefunken's 'Rollkugel'|publisher=oldmouse.com|access-date=2013-08-17|archive-date=2013-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808075232/http://www.oldmouse.com/mouse/misc/telefunken.shtml|url-status=usurped}}</ref> The device named ''{{lang|de|[[Rollkugel (mouse device)|Rollkugel]]}}'' [[RKS 100-86]] is based on "reversing" an earlier [[trackball]]-like device (also named ''{{lang|de|[[Rollkugel (trackball device)|Rollkugel]]}}'') embedded into radar flight control desks, which had been developed around 1965<!-- exact year not known --> by a team led by {{lang|de|[[Rainer Mallebrein]]}} at Telefunken {{lang|de|Konstanz}} for the German ''{{lang|de|{{Interlanguage link|Bundesanstalt für Flugsicherung|de}}}}'' as part of their [[Telefunken TR 86|TR&nbsp;86]] process computer system with its [[Telefunken SIG 100|SIG&nbsp;100-86]]<ref>{{cite web
|title=SIG-100 video terminal and mouse
|url=http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/input-output/14/346/1874
|access-date=2013-08-17
|archive-date=2013-08-27
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827055238/http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/input-output/14/346/1874
|url-status=live
}}</ref> vector graphics terminal.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1968-12-09|9&nbsp;Dec 1968}}
| US
| [[Douglas Engelbart]] [[The Mother of All Demos|demonstrates]] interactive computing at the [[Fall Joint Computer Conference]] in San Francisco: [[computer mouse|mouse]], on-screen windows, [[hypertext]] and full-screen [[word processing]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1969|1969}}
| US
| The [[NPL network]] was the first network to implement packet switching in early 1969.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last1=John S |first1=Quarterman |last2=Josiah C |first2=Hoskins |date=1986 |title=Notable computer networks |journal=Communications of the ACM |language=EN |volume=29 |issue=10 |pages=932–971 |doi=10.1145/6617.6618 |s2cid=25341056 |quote=The first packet-switching network was implemented at the National Physical Laboratories in the United Kingdom. It was quickly followed by the ARPANET in 1969. |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":72">{{Cite conference |last1=Rayner |first1=David |last2=Barber |first2=Derek |last3=Scantlebury |first3=Roger |last4=Wilkinson |first4=Peter |date=2001 |title=NPL, Packet Switching and the Internet |url=http://www.topquark.co.uk/conf/IAP2001.html |conference=Symposium of the Institution of Analysts & Programmers 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030807200346/http://www.topquark.co.uk/conf/IAP2001.html |archive-date=2003-08-07 |access-date=2024-06-13 |quote=The system first went 'live' early in 1969 |website=}}</ref> The [[ARPANET]], funded by the [[United States Department of Defense]] for research into computer [[resource sharing]], connected two packet switches ([[Interface Message Processor|Interface Message Processors]]) on November 21, 1969, between Stanford and UCLA. It was opened to non-military users later in the 1970s including many universities.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1969|1969}}
| US
| Development of [[Unix|UNIX]] operating system begun.<ref name="ford2014">{{citation |author=Ford |first=Paul |title=The Great Works of Software |date=April 2014 |url=https://medium.com/message/the-great-works-of-software-705b87339971 |access-date=2015-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817035626/https://medium.com/message/the-great-works-of-software-705b87339971 |url-status=live |archive-date=2015-08-17 |via=[[Medium (publishing platform)|Medium]]}}</ref>
It was later released as [[C (programming language)|C]] source code to aid portability, and subsequently versions are obtainable for many different computers, including the [[IBM PC]]. It and its clones (such as [[Linux]]) are still widely used on network servers and scientific workstations. Originally developed by [[Ken Thompson (computer programmer)|Ken Thompson]] and [[Dennis Ritchie]].
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1969-04-07|7&nbsp;Apr 1969}}
| US
| The first [[Request for Comments]], RFC 1 was published by [[Steve Crocker]]. The RFCs (network [[working group]], Request For Comment) are a series of papers which are used to develop and define protocols for networking; originally the basis for ARPANET, there are now thousands of them applying to all aspects of the [[Internet]]. Collectively they document everything about the way the Internet and computers on it should behave, such as [[Internet protocol suite|TCP/IP]] networking or how email headers should be written.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1969|1969}}
| ?
| Introduction of the [[RS-232]] (serial interface) standard by EIA ([[Electronic Industries Association]]), one of the oldest serial interfaces still (uncommonly) in use today.
|- valign="top"
| {{sort|1969|1969}}
| US
| [[Data General]] shipped a total of 50,000 Novas at US$8,000 each. The [[Data General Nova|Nova]] was one of the first [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] minicomputers. It was first to employ medium-scale integration (MSI) circuits from [[Fairchild Semiconductor]], with subsequent models using large-scale integrated (LSI) circuits. Also notable was that the entire central processor was contained on one 15-inch [[printed circuit board]].
|}