Test Your Nerd Knowledge: Feb 1, 2022
Here’s a review of this week’s questions:
- What was the name of the American technology company, now defunct, that created Java, Solaris and VirtualBox?
- What is the name of the American web software company based in Chicago, that was co‑founded in 1999 by Jason Fried, Carlos Segura, and Ernest Kim?
- What technology company started in 1998 under its original name, Confinity?
And here are the answers:
- Sun Microsystems. Founded in 1982 by Stanford University students, Sun Microsystems started in the field of workstations, and changed the way these devices are used for years to come. The company’s growth in the 1980’s was astounding – it had a 145% annual growth rate in 1989 and launched the SPARCstation desktop computer that same year. As the retail computer business model became oversaturated by IBM, Apple and Microsoft, Sun introduced Java, a brand name that stood for a programming language and a set of components and tools that allowed users to write software across any computer and operating system. In 2010, Sun Microsystems was sold to Oracle Corporation for seven billion dollars.
- Basecamp. Basecamp started as a software development company and evolved when they developed a simple project management app that could help businesses communicate ideas, organize the work to be done, and present work to stakeholders. They currently promote their software as “The All-In-One Toolkit for Working Remotely.” Formerly known as 37signals, the company currently has 34 employees.
- PayPal. Max Levchin and Peter Theil launched Confinity, which quickly became PayPal. Their idea was to use specific encryption software to enable consumers to conduct financial transfers through electronic devices. Things got huge in 2002, when eBay acquired PayPal. By 2007, they had cracked the European market and moved its operation to Luxembourg. In 2015, they spun away from eBay to go it on their own but will remain as a payment option for eBay customers until July 2023.