Fastest x86 CPU Comes and Number Nine Dies (PCGH-Retro May 17)

… 1999: Intel launches the Pentium III with a clock frequency of 550 megahertz. These are the fastest Pentium models to date and (in the absence of AMD competition in the form of the later appearing Athlon) the fastest desktop processors in the x86 world. The CPUs based on the Katmai core come onto the market in SECC construction, in which the processor including external cache chips (2x 256 KiByte) is plugged onto a small extra circuit board on the mainboard. The Katmais has also been available in 450 and 500 MHz versions since February 26, 1999. Cost for the 550 MHz version: measly $744 (when buying thousands of pieces).

… 2000: The graphics specialist Number Nine Visual Technology, which was particularly known for its innovative 2D graphics solutions, often based on its own chips, is ceasing operations. In the 1980s and 1990s, Number Nine developed, among other things, the first graphics cards capable of displaying 256 and 16.7 million colors, and the Texans also credited the first 128-bit 2D chip. The rest of the company is taken over by S3 Graphics. Also legendary are the references to the Beatles and the company’s Texas homeland, which was expressed in product names (Imagine, Revolution) or transparent imprints on the graphics card boards, among other things.

… 2006: According to a motion before the UN General Assembly, World Telecommunications Day will be changed to Information Society Day, which is intended to take account of the requirements, opportunities and dangers of the emerging information society.