Entering the Mainstream: A Synopsis

Cheap, Powerful Hardware:

• Intel i386 processor released in early 1986
• Over 18 times faster than 8088 in original PC
• First microprocessor with all the features of a fully-developed, general-purpose computer

Graphical User Interfaces:

• Emerged on PCs in 1990 with Microsoft Windows 3.0
• Previous versions of Windows weren’t "ready for prime time"
• Macintosh was then (and still is) a niche player

Local Area Networks:

• Emerged in 1980’s
• Matured in early 1990’s

Relational Databases:

• Emerged in 1970’s
• Matured in 1980’s
• Became generally accessible from PCs once MS Windows and LANs were in place

Powerful Development Tools:

• Were needed because development of Windows applications in C was too slow and costly
• Emerged in 1991, led by Visual Basic and PowerBuilder
• Many other tools are now available

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