Timeline of computing 1990–1999

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From 1990 to 1999, computing saw big changes that shaped the future.

The long collaboration between Microsoft and IBM on DOS ended. A later DOS version allowed loading device drivers and TSR programs above the 640 KB limit by using upper memory blocks, freeing more RAM for applications.

Linux grew from a hobby project into one of the most widely used Unix-like kernels. It originally ran on Intel 386 processors and later expanded to many other systems, including Sun SPARC, DEC/Compaq Alpha, ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, and Motorola 68000-based machines.

In 1992, the GNU project started using the Linux kernel for GNU systems while waiting for its own kernel, GNU Hurd. That same year, Linus Torvalds released the Linux kernel under the GNU General Public License, making Linux free software.

Windows NT emerged as a powerful operating system capable of addressing up to 2 gigabytes of RAM, far more than most programs needed at the time.