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MS-DOS
1981
MS-DOS
Microsoft in partnership with IBM
MS-DOS was arguably the operating system for computers before Windows, and in a way was a stepping stone for Microsoft's eventual creation of Windows. -
The 3.5 inch "floppy"
1981
3.5 in floppy drives
Sony
The 3.5 in floppy standard provided a resilient and portable storage medium that became common place enough to inspire save icons that are used to this day. -
CD-ROM
1984
CD-ROM
Sony/Phillips
At about 390 times the storage size of the floppy disk, the CD-ROM would quickly become the preferred medium for portable storage. This became especially relevant once CD writers and rewritable formats entered mass production. -
Flash memory
1984
Flash memory
Fujio Masuoka - Toshiba
Flash memory, while not having the kind of storage capacity of other mediums, was unique in it's long-term stability. As technology progressed, this storage style began to overtake all other mediums including magnetic formats. -
C++ is published
1985
C++
Bjarne Stroustrup
C++ is still in use 35 years after it's inception, giving it the credibility as one of the foundational languages for object oriented programming as we know it today.