Bob's Computer Service

This Week in Tech History

July 18, 1968 Intel is Founded

Long before you saw the little Intel Inside sticker on laptops, two men, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, took a leap of faith and launched a company that would shape the entire digital age. That company was Intel.

Back then, computers filled entire rooms, and chips were a relatively new concept. Noyce (nicknamed the “Mayor of Silicon Valley”) and Moore (of “Moore’s Law” fame) set out to build something smaller, faster, and more powerful. Their big breakthrough came in 1971 with the Intel 4004, the world’s first commercially available microprocessor. That single innovation condensed what once occupied wall space into something that could fit on your desk, and eventually in your pocket.

From powering early PCs in the 1980s and 1990s to driving the internet boom and now fueling AI and cloud computing, Intel has had its fingerprints on nearly every major leap in modern technology. If you’ve ever used a personal computer, odds are an Intel chip played a role in that experience.

💡 Did you know? The very name Intel comes from “Integrated Electronics”—a fitting choice, considering they helped define the microchip era.
👉 Imagine: without Intel pushing boundaries, we might not have laptops, smartphones, or even the same internet we rely on today.

This Week in Tech History

In July 1994, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon, initially just an online bookstore run out of his garage in Bellevue, Washington. Back then, the idea of buying books online sounded almost strange. Who would trust typing in their credit card number online?

But Bezos had a vision: the internet was about to explode, and books were only the beginning. He named it Amazon after the world’s largest river, because he wanted to build the world’s largest online marketplace.

Fast forward three decades, and Amazon has reshaped the way we shop, read, work, and even power the internet. What started with books grew into selling “everything from A to Z” (ever notice the arrow in the Amazon logo?). Then came Prime, Kindle, Alexa, and even Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud backbone behind millions of businesses, websites, and apps.
For small businesses, Amazon changed the rules of the game by giving anyone a global storefront. For consumers, it sets the standard for fast shipping, easy returns, and a digital-first shopping experience. Love it or hate it, Amazon didn’t just change retail—it transformed the digital economy.

👉 Fun fact: The very first book sold on Amazon was Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies by Douglas Hofstadter. Not exactly a bestseller title, but it made history.
Would you have guessed that a garage startup for books would one day reshape how the world shops and how the internet runs?

A software renewal notice can quietly turn into a major business decision.

The price increases. A familiar plan disappears. A permanent license becomes a subscription. The deadline arrives before anyone has had time to evaluate the consequences properly.

The difficult part is rarely comparing monthly prices. It is understanding everything connected to the software, including historical data, integrations, employee workflows, compliance requirements, and specialized equipment that may have no modern alternative.
Paying more may be the right decision. Migrating may be the better option. In some situations, safely preserving a legacy system is the only realistic path.

The dangerous choice is the one made under pressure without knowing the full cost, risk, and disruption involved.

Read the article to learn how to approach a changing software agreement before the deadline removes your ability to choose carefully.

This Week in Tech History

Windows 98 was released on June 25, 1998

In the late 1990s, Microsoft introduced Windows 98, a follow-up to Windows 95 that brought some of the most significant upgrades in PC history. It wasn’t just a new coat of paint, it was the first version truly built for the Internet era.

Windows 98 introduced the FAT32 file system for larger hard drives, improved USB support (ending endless restarts), and tightly integrated Internet Explorer 4.0 into the desktop. For many of us, it was the first time the “Start” button became second nature, and features like Plug and Play made setting up printers, scanners, and digital cameras much less painful.
Sure, it had its quirks (and the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” demo crash at launch still makes the rounds online), but Windows 98 helped shape how we work and play today. It bridged the gap between the early Internet and the modern connected world, paving the way for XP, Windows 7, and everything that followed.

💡 Did you know? Bill Gates’ big live demo of Windows 98 famously froze and crashed right on stage in front of thousands of people. Instead of being a disaster, it actually made headlines, and gave Windows 98 even more attention!

What are your memories of Windows 98? Was it your first operating system, or did you upgrade from 95?