The word that describes the last technology decade is “turbulence” Fortunes were made and lost; ordinary users took control of the reins, and technology industry turned into a spectator game. The period was chaotic but at least it wasn’t dull. It the post below, you can find a brief review of the most interesting events and innovations in high tech sphere for the last decade: the highlights and lowlights, the booms and bankrupts, the success and the failure.

1. Y2K (Year 2000) Fiasco

2000 began quietly, with no drama. The dreadful predictions of computer system collapse, mass power outages, problems with traveling ships, planes and other vehicles navigation just did not happened. The Y2K problem appeared to be only overestimated hysteria.

2. Dot-Bomb and the Death of the Build-It-and-They-Will-Come Business Model

In the late 1990s, the stock market was fueled by investment in high tech. It was developing dynamically – new technology companies were launched every day, and even Alan Greenspan mentioned the term "irrational exuberance". However his warning couldn't dim the enthusiastic venture capitalists who were pouring money into unstable new Websites. The problem was that these sites scaled up too quickly without even following a reliable revenue stream or a proven business model. By mid-2000, the dot-com bubble had burst, taking the economy and many people's livelihoods with it.

3. The success of Google

What started as a simple search engine has now transformed into an all-encompassing ecosystem that has changed – and in many aspects – dominates the online universe. By the early years of this millennium, Google (armed with its proprietary, all-knowing algorithm) had already won the competition. The launch of Google AdWords (2001) and Google News (2002) set the stage for a massively successful public offering in 2004. Then the G-team really started flooding users with a string of cloud-based applications such as Gmail, Google Maps, Picasa, Google Apps, Desktop Search, Google Earth, and more. With the addition of YouTube in 2006, the Android platform in 2007, and Google Voice and Google Chrome OS in 2009, the company doesn't have much territory left to conquer.

4. Social networks rule

Do you remember Friendster? It was a social network introduced in 2002. Lots of people signed up, invited friends to join, and then spent the next year figuring out what to do there. The problem was that the whole idea of online friendship and networking was not that clear and developed. MySpace also had its glorious day, only to be surpassed by Facebook, which now has more than 300 million users. With all the "friending" options and possibilities, we may wonder whether it’s possible that Facebook and all the rest social networks can make the world a friendlier place? Probably not. Unfortunately, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary, "unfriend" was 2009's word of the year.

5. Apple's Great Comeback

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, prospects were gloomy. But as it seems, a decade can make a great difference. With the launch of the iPod in 2001, Macs running on Intel processors in 2006, the iPhone in 2007, and the iPhone App Store in 2008, Apple has become a force to be reckoned with. Meanwhile Jobs has been welcomed as the conquering hero in a black turtleneck.

6. The User Takes Control

In 2006, when Time Magazin nominated the everyday active Internet user, as the Person of the Year, it was obvious that something important is on in contemporary society. Bloggers, citizen journalists, everyday experts, and anyone with a cell-phone camera who can take part in the top-down model of information dispersal. For a while, this potent mix of user-created content, high interactivity between sites, and rich user interfaces was named "Web 2.0." The term eventually lost its power but the activities it described did not. From Digg, Flickr, Wikipedia, and Yelp to protestors tweeting the political unrest in Iran, the "voice of ordinary people" was heard all over the globe.

7. Vista’s weak performance

It seems that Microsoft is not good at being modest. So when the engineers in Redmond began developing the successor to Windows XP, there were no limits. After five years in the making, Windows Vista sported a new approach to security, useful innovations, and a slick new interface. The company bravely proclaimed it to be "the most significant product launch in Microsoft Corp.'s history." Unfortunately, many users were absolutely disappointed by the new software. A rash of incompatibilities, sluggish performance, and constant nagging from the User Account Control feature earned Vista a spot atop our list of the Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007. Microsoft's redemption seems to have arrived about three years later, with the release of Windows 7.