# Substrate timeline

A tour of computing history by Danilo Campos, tracing the computing substrates each breakthrough was built on.

This is the markdown representation of the timeline at https://timeline.networkgames.fyi. Entries are grouped by era, oldest first. Each links to its full writeup (append `.md` to any entry URL, or send `Accept: text/markdown`).

## Industrial Age (1800–1950)

- [Turing Machine](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/turing-machine) (1936)
- [Enigma broken at Bletchley Park](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/enigma-broken-at-bletchley-park) (1940)
- [Von Neumann architecture](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/von-neumann-architecture) (1944)
- [Transistor invented at Bell Labs](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/transistor) (Dec 23, 1947)
- [The Imitation Game](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/the-imitation-game) (1949)

## Transistor Age (1950–2030)

- [Touch-tone telephone routing](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/touch-tone-telephone-routing) (1963)
- [First integrated circuits](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/first-integrated-circuits) (1964)
- [Mother of All Demos](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/mother-of-all-demos) (1968)
- [Pocket calculator](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/pocket-calculator) (1970)
- [First microprocessor](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/first-microprocessor) (1971)
- [Golden age of consumer miniaturization](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/golden-age-of-consumer-miniaturization) (1971 – 2015)
- [Intel's golden age](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/intel-s-golden-age) (1971 – 2004)
- [Pong](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/pong) (1972)
- [Xerox Alto](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/xerox-alto) (1973)
- [Initial TCP draft](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/initial-tcp-draft) (1974)
- [Ethernet patent filed](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/ethernet-patent-filed) (1975)
- [Microsoft founded](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/microsoft-founded) (1975)
- [Apple founded](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/apple-founded) (1977)
- [Sony Walkman](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/sony-walkman) (1979)
- [Donkey Kong](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/donkey-kong) (1981)
- [IBM PC](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/ibm-pc) (1981)
- [Macintosh](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/macintosh) (1984)
- [TSMC founded](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/tsmc-founded) (1987)
- [Bandwidth revolution](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/bandwidth-revolution) (1988 – 2008)
- [GameBoy](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/gameboy) (1989)
- [NeXTSTEP](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/nextstep) (1989)
- [ARM founded](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/arm-founded) (1990)
- [World Wide Web](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/world-wide-web) (1990)
- [Linux](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/linux) (1991)
- [Golden age of Dialup](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/golden-age-of-dialup) (1991 – 1999)
- [NVIDIA founded](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/nvidia-founded) (1993)
- [Apache web server](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/apache-web-server) (1995)
- [Windows 95](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/windows-95) (1995)
- [DOCSIS cable modems](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/docsis-cable-modems) (1997)
- [Google founded](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/google-founded) (1998)
- [MP3 players](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/mp3-players) (1998)
- [Blackberry 850](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/blackberry-850) (1999)
- [Consumer WiFi (iBook)](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/consumer-wifi-ibook) (1999)
- [Napster](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/napster) (1999)
- [Broadband adoption](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/broadband-adoption) (1999 – 2009)
- [P2P cycle](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/p2p-cycle) (1999 – 2010)
- [Google's golden age](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/googles-golden-age) (2000 – 2012)
- [Microsoft-DOJ antitrust settlement](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/microsoft-doj-antitrust-settlement) (2001)
- [Apple's golden age](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/apple-s-golden-age) (2001 – 2015)
- [Second Life](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/second-life) (2003)
- [Facebook, Reddit](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/facebook-reddit) (2004)
- [Halo 2](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/halo-2) (2004)
- [World of Warcraft](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/world-of-warcraft) (2004)
- [Web 2.0 cycle](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/web-2-0-cycle) (2004 – 2014)
- [Cloud computing cycle](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/cloud-computing-cycle) (2005 – 2015)
- [AWS](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/aws) (2006)
- [iPhone](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/iphone) (2007)
- [Android](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/android) (2008)
- [Great Financial Crisis](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/great-financial-crisis) (2008)
- [Smartphone cycle](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/smartphone-cycle) (2009 – 2018)
- [Zero-interest rate age](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/zero-interest-rate-age) (2009 – 2022)
- [Birth of CUDA](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/birth-of-cuda) (2012)
- [Deep learning era](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/deep-learning-era) (2012 – 2030)
- [The end of Juicero](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/juicero) (2017) — $120 million buys an unnecessary juice press and a cautionary tale about timing and human leverage.
- [TikTok](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/tiktok) (2017)
- [Transformer paper](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/transformer-paper) (2017)
- [COVID-19](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/covid-19) (2020)
- [Pandemic technology micro-boom](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/range/pandemic-technology-micro-boom) (2020 – 2022)
- [ChatGPT](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/chatgpt) (2022)
- [Cursor](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/cursor) (2023)
- [Claude Code](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/claude-code) (2025)
- [Zuckerberg abandons the Metaverse](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/event/zuckerberg-abandons-the-metaverse) (2026) — Even if you spent all the money in the world, the substrate for delivering the metaverse as an immersive experience just wasn't ready.

## Lineages

- [Apple personal computing](https://timeline.networkgames.fyi/cascade/apple-personal-computing) — 1 entry