Desktop software development timeline

Question

What are the most significant events that impacted desktop software development? I'm trying to come up with a good timeline but I know I'm missing a bunch of important events:

1. Introduction of the personal computer (lates 70s?)
2. Release of VisiCalc (1980)
3. WordPerfect 4.2 in 1986
4. Windows 3.1 (1992)
5. Visual Basic
6. Windows 95...

Java, X11, .NET, Delphi, PowerBuilder, QT?

Answer 1

Virtual Machines, here;s the Wikipedia Timeline. Pick your significant event:-)

Also here's a preety detailed timeline.

Answer 2

Invention of the Mouse

Answer 3

• Mouse
• Graphical User Interface
• Monitor (They didn't always have displays).

Answer 4

Without the pc there where no desktop applications. It was the first time that ordinary people could but a computer.

Before that, if you where lucky you had a single terminal.

Answer 5

Here's the Bushy Tree Diagram showing the R&D work at Xerox PARC and the profound influence it has had on personal computer technology ever since. One Alan Kay was a key player in the research that went on there.

Answer 6

Borland's Turbo Pascal: Famous for lightning-fast compile times I'm told.