11. Apple buys Steve Jobs' other company, NeXT Software, for $400 million-plus, bringing Jobs back into the fold, where he's done OK for himself. NeXT never was very commercially successful, but its software has been influential, even working itself into Mac OS X. 

12. A slew of network infrastructure companies got their start in 1996. Some, like , are having a rough time of it, while others, like , are sailing along. Others, such as , have been bought out. 

13. Dot-coms started to emerge, including Sabre Holdings subsidiary Travelocity, which has outlasted so many others.

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