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Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

Summary: ZDNet's 20th anniversary: ZDNet was hatched on CompuServe on April 1, 1991. Here's what's on tap for our 20th anniversary.

Larry Dignan

By for Between the Lines |

As you may have noticed, our logo has changed to reflect that ZDNet has left its teenage years behind and is almost of drinking age.

ZDNet was hatched on CompuServe on April 1, 1991. (We didn't blab about our anniversary on April 1 since you wouldn't have believed us anyway.)

Over the next month we'll be rolling out a series of posts and videos on the anniversary including:

  • The time warp to tech in 1991 with our current staff;
  • Videos on the anniversary, including the one embedded below;
  • Memories from previous staffers;
  • ...and we might even give some stuff away and do a TweetUp or two.

Here's ZDNet's history in five minutes:

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20 comments
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  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    Happy Birthday ZDNET.
    Ram U
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    Well done and congratulations.

    BTW, did you actually launch this service on an April Fool's Day twenty years ago? That's sort of funny.
    kenosha77a
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    I miss when ZDnet was a rival to cnet and had it's own cable channel. On Those days, that was the only channel my brother. my wife and me watched the whole day!!
    czorrilla
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    Started reading here in 93 or 94 (can't quite remember) while it seems like more flame baiting than anything else nowadays its still fun to read and I still get some good tech knowledge . Congrats
    scruff40
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    Happy Birthday, ZDNet!

    In a bit of nostalgia, can you bring back ZDTV and a few episodes of The Screensavers with Kate & Leo?
    Loverock Davidson
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

      @Loverock Davidson Sure as long as Paul Allen funds it. He bought ZDTV then it turned into G4.
      Larry Dignan
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    Happy 20th anniversary! More years and even decades to come ZDNet! =)
    erichmercado
    Reply Vote

  • Happy Anniversary ZDNet!

    Cheers to the historic 20 and to many, many more!
    oldbaritone
    Reply Vote

  • And their talkbacks are still horrible . . .

    And their Talkbacks are still horrible . . . problems with minor message edits being marked as spam, still missing some of the niceties of regular forum software, replies being placed on top instead of where they will be shown when the page is refreshed, and basically there are Talkback issues that are years old. Basically still stuck in the '90s.
    CobraA1
    Reply Vote

    • The more things change

      @CobraA1
      The more they stay the same! :)
      Will Farrell
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    Congrats Mr. Ziff and Mr. Davis ;-)
    dswhite
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    I was a new middle school teacher in 1983, when I published my first online article (via Compuserve and McGraw-Hill Information Exchange) promoting collaborative learning??.???.?
    yvonnemariea
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    Happy 20th anniversary ZDNet.. I remember paying $25 bucks for a box of Ten 5.25 Floppies...and might add very happy to get them.. Jim Jaffe
    jaffejim
    Reply Vote

  • Computing on a desert island

    I worked at a place that saw the web as a major security menace and potential source of distraction to the staff.
    We started out with just an internal dumb terminal network connected to a central microcomputer in a protected area.
    The rest of us operated on a stand-alone basis.
    Our most important computer generated our mailing lists. On it I learned to use Ashton-Tate's Dbase some time in the late 1980's. By the early 1990's I had the opportunity to get my own desktop. It was a Packard Bell from Office Depot. My "great new" database application was Lotus Works 1.0. I stayed connected to the computing world by subscribing to magazines like PC World.
    It wasn't until the mid 1990's that we got a peer-to-peer network installed in the building. This was a management initiative. Later we moved to an IP-based network served locally. But most of us still had stand-alone desktops and shared files using diskettes and thumb drives!
    By Y2K I finally had my own copy of Excel. We were in the big time! But it wasn't until years later that we could actually access the web from certain designated machines, if we had the right credentials.
    I didn't start joining forums until I left that job. I no longer feel the need for a PC World subscription to stay connected!
    Better life? Desert islands do have their advantages...
    l_e_cox
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    Happy 20th Anniversary ZD net!
    Here's to another 20.
    Well done and keep the good work up.
    Charlie
    davechilds_2000@...
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    I remember you mid 90's magazine geared toward families, Family PC. Our family was a product tester for you and occasionally got goodies and a write up in the magazine. What a wonderful time that was! PC Magazine, Family PC and a host of other sources gave me the courage to build my own systems and stay on the cutting edge. I wonder what the next twenty years will bring...
    bobeld@...
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    I joined long enough ago that I can not remember why I joined! So we have grown old together. Well done Zdnet!
    cliffdf_z
    Reply Vote

  • Almost voting age

    At 21, you'll be of legal voting age. You had my vote back when I was using CompuServe and 1200 / 2400 baud dial-in.
    I can't seem to locate the question I need to answer, as part of the laptop bag contest. Either way, I've gained a lot of good info from you guys (and gals). Only 20....hmmm, seems like a lot longer.
    rketchum@...
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    Can't find it either and I've been learning, reading, enjoying ZDNet since the VERY OLD DAYS.
    sandradon@aol.com
    sandradon@...
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Happy 20th anniversary, ZDNet

    Happy birthday! It's hard to believe that it's been twenty years. I believe that I've been with you from the start.
    lnmarket@...
    Reply Vote
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