Software Distribution, Freedom, and Licensing
August 30, 2026
Explore how software distribution and licensing developed through shareware, Free Software, Open Source, permissive licensing, and copyleft, and how Doom, GNU Emacs, BSD, Debian, Red Hat, and LibreOffice demonstrate the different ways software can be shared, sold, modified, and redistributed.
UNIX Becomes a Family
August 23, 2026
Explore how UNIX grew from its Bell Labs origins into a family of operating systems, how portability and source availability allowed it to spread, and how BSD, System V, and commercial UNIX systems developed along distinct but interconnected branches.
When Hardware No Longer Defines the Computer
August 16, 2026
Explore how networking weakened the connection between hardware class and computer function, how workstations and servers introduced role-based computing, and how operating systems increasingly helped determine what a machine could do within a larger system.
The Server Emerges as a Role
August 09, 2026
Explore how networking allowed the shared functions of mainframes and minicomputers to reappear on microcomputer-derived hardware, how server roles developed, and why those roles eventually led to dedicated server hardware.
From Isolated Computers to Local Area Networks
August 02, 2026
Explore how personal computing evolved from isolated machines to persistent local area networks, why organizations adopted networking, how competing technologies gave way to Ethernet and TCP/IP, and how networking eventually became part of everyday home computing.