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Getting Our Facts Straight


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What follows is some research I did regarding some important inventions in the area of personal computing. I decided to do this because, we often get emotional in the PC vs. Mac, and opinions sometimes get stated as if they were facts. We also post our recollections and/or understanding of facts without double-checking. (I write "we" because I've done it too.) Unfortunately, this sometimes causes misinformation to spread. I hope that the following sheds some light on the matter. It did for me anyway. Here's what I found: Douglas C. Engelbart invented the mouse and the first graphical user interface, while working at research position at Stanford Research Institute: [quote][i]Excerpted from [url=http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa081898.htm]Inventors of the Modern Computer[/url] , by Mary Bellis:[/i] Douglas C. Engelbart changed the way computers worked, from specialized machinery that only a trained scientist could use, to a user-friendly tool that almost anyone can use. He invented or contributed to several interactive, user-friendly devices: the computermouse, windows, computer video teleconferencing, hypermedia, groupware, email, the Internet and more. In 1964, the first prototype computer mouse was made to use with a graphical user interface (GUI), 'windows'. Engelbart received a patent for the wooden shell with two metal wheels (computer mouse) in 1970, describing it in the patent application as an "X-Y position indicator for a display system." "It was nicknamed the mouse because the tail came out the end," Engelbart revealed about his invention. His version of windows was not considered patentable (no software patents were issued at that time), but Engelbart has over 45 other patents to his name.[/quote]According to the [url=http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa120198.htm]same source[/url] , the first personal computer for sale to the public was the Scelbi: [quote]In the March, 1974, issue of QST magazine there appeared the first advertisement for a "personal computer." It was called the Scelbi (SCientific, ELectronic and BIological) and designed by the Scelbi Computer Consulting Company of Milford, Connecticut.[/quote]Of course, the release of the Apple I in 1976 and especially the Apple II in 1977 marked the first boom in personal computer sales. However, many consider Xerox's Alto to be the first computer designed to be used by one person: [quote][i]Excerpted from [url=http://applemuseum.bott.org/sections/gui.html]A History of the Graphical User Interface[/url] :[/i] In 1973, the Xerox Alto was born. The Alto, shown at left, had many familiar features but contained totally absent to the computer industry at the time. The most shocking thing about the Alto is that it was design to be used by only one person, the first personal computer.[/quote]Finally, [b]RobT[/b] discovered that according to the [url=http://www.blinkenlights.com/pc.shtml]Blinkenlights Archaeological Institute[/url] , the first personal computer was called "Simon:" [quote]Edmund Berkeley first described Simon in his 1949 book, "Giant Brains, or Machines That Think" and went on to publish plans to build Simon in a series of Radio Electronics issues in 1950 and 1951.[/quote]While the Macintosh graphical user interface owes a lot to work done at PARC by the engineers at Xerox, much of the original Mac GUI was completely original: [quote][i]Excerpted from [url=http://applemuseum.bott.org/sections/gui.html]A History of the Graphical User Interface[/url] :[/i] Although much of the interface of both the Lisa and Mac was based heavily on the work done at PARC, and 15 of the engineers at Xerox later left to join Apple, much of the Mac and Lisa operating systems were already written before Job's visit to PARC. The Lisa team had added extra features not included in the Alto including the dragging, double-clicking of icons, pull-down menus, a menubar at the top, and the famous trash can.[/quote]The Microsoft graphical user interface, however, was less original: [quote][i]Excerpted from [url=http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,9297,00.html]Web 101: A History of the GUI[/url] , by Adam Powell:[/i] It wasn't long before Microsoft, headed up by one Bill Gates, entered the GUI game. Gates, who as near as I can tell has never had an original idea in his career, is nevertheless extremely good at copying the great ideas of others. Windows copied the conceptual framework of the Macintosh GUI, right down to the trash can (which Microsoft calls a "recycle bin"), and marketed it as a platform for DOS-based computers. Apple sued, but a less-than-technically inclined court ruled that it is legal to copy the "look and feel" of something if the internal mechanisms are different. This is mostly because, in the United States, the "look and feel" is defined as the "structure, sequence, and organization" of a program. Apple lost, and Microsoft got to keep its GUI. It was ruled that porting a metaphor to another platform was not criminal. The rest is history. Apple is flailing around and Microsoft is poised for world domination, mostly on the strength of an idea that wasn't Gates' in the first place. But what a great idea it was.[/quote]Please feel free to some research of your own and to post quotes from, and links to your sources here.

Enthusiasm powers the world.

 

Craig Anderton's Archiving Article

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It seems that a good way to condemn a thread to a quick death is by asking posters to do research! :D However, considering the time and effort I put into the post above, I'm not ready to see this thread slip away to page two just yet. As a musician, I find this stuff interesting. It's not just because computers have affected the way I record. It's also because this is a great example of how a brilliant, creative idea benefits those who promote it much more than it does those who created it. I don't know about any of you, but it's a good reminder to me to sharpen my business skills. Does anyone have any comments ... observations ... or research of their own to share? Best, Geoff

Enthusiasm powers the world.

 

Craig Anderton's Archiving Article

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Nice info Geoff. I wonder if EngelBart got any real money from his ideas. He seems to have been almost prescient, given the state of computing at the time. I made it over to his site [url=http://www.bootstrap.org]bootstrap.org[/url] and found some really interesting current concepts he is working on. (Most of the ideas are detailed in the colloquium.) Some of the PC vs. Mac quibble is really about innovation rather than invention isn't it? I do think there is a diference between new ideas and new ideas that work in the marketplace. The market research investment can be as real and as risky as the technical research investment. Just an observation. You jumpstarted my day with a bunch of ideas. Thanks. Jerry :)
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Thanks soapbox. I too am guilty of posting without fact checking or relying on memory. I did find some other interesting personal computer historical facts at: http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/comphist/ http://www.digitalcentury.com/encyclo/update/pc_hd.html and this one is the most interesting of all. http://www.blinkenlights.com/pc.shtml I liked the authors criteria for the characteristics of a [b]personal computer[/b]. Have a look see and you may be as suprised as I was. RobT Hope this develops into a cool thread.

RobT

 

Famous Musical Quotes: "I would rather play Chiquita Banana and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve" - Xavier Cugat

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Thanks, [b]Jerry[/b] and [b]Rob[/b], for your thoughtful comments and for your links to information as well. Rob, I've incorporated your Blinkenlights info into my original post. I hope that was okay. After all, I don't want to spread misinformation in a thread called, "Getting Our Facts Straight!" :D Jerry, I like the distinction you make between innovation and invention. I agree that innovation, rather than invention, is a better way to frame the Mac vs. PC debate. The truth shall set you free. I want more! :thu:

Enthusiasm powers the world.

 

Craig Anderton's Archiving Article

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Good stuff - nice to see a bit of reality seeping in. :) A bit OT, but have you all noticed how MS has usurped the word "innovate"? Listen to any MS person speak, and not more than a few sentences go by without using the word, usually as a verb. (A bit Orwellian, if you ask me...)
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[quote] by Adam Powell: It wasn't long before Microsoft, headed up by one Bill Gates, entered the GUI game. Gates, who as near as I can tell has never had an original idea in his career, is nevertheless extremely good at copying the great ideas of others. Windows copied the conceptual framework of the Macintosh GUI, right down to the trash can (which Microsoft calls a "recycle bin"), and marketed it as a platform for DOS-based computers. Apple sued, [/quote]I have no idea who this guy is but in the interest of research, let's give this some context: [quote]Bill Gates and Microsoft's head counsel, Bill Neukom, decided to make an offer to license Apple's operating-system features. Apple agreed, and a contract was drawn up. Here's the clincher: Microsoft wrote the licensing agreement to include use of Apple features in Windows 1.0 and all future Microsoft software programs. As it turned out, this move by Bill Gates was as brilliant as his decision to buy QDOS from Seattle Computer Products and his convincing IBM to let Microsoft keep the licensing rights to MS-DOS. [/quote]I think Bill had some original ideas, alright - just not the ones people were expecting ;) .

Steve Powell - Bull Moon Digital

www.bullmoondigital.com

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[b]Franknputer[/b], I've missed out on the MS usage of the word, "innovate." I'll be on the lookout for that. [b]Steve[/b], LOL! I'd bet that Bill Gates is great at chess! Here's more: [quote][i]Excerpted from [url=http://applemuseum.bott.org/sections/gui.html]A History of the Graphical User Interface[/url] :[/i] Bill Gates also decided the GUI was the way to go during this time. After seeing that Apple refused to license the Mac OS, he announced Windows in 1983, and how it would revolutionize the PC industry. The first version of Windows would not be released for 4 more years. During the development of Windows, Bill Gates feared Apple would sue him due to the fact that his OS was looking a lot like the Mac OS. So on November 22, 1983, John Sculley, then CEO of Apple, signed an agreement to allow Microsoft use Mac OS technology in exchange for further development of Microsoft software for the Mac. This single event would be one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the microcomputing industry.[/quote]John Sculley, on the other hand, probably should stick to checkers. ;) FWIW, the Adam Powell article appeared in Wired.

Enthusiasm powers the world.

 

Craig Anderton's Archiving Article

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great history lesson here, and cool links. i especially liked blinkenlights.com. i would have guessed that the apple ][ cost more than $1,295. the ibm competition was $11,000, but i'm sure many people forked over the extra $9,000 to up the memory from 16k to 64k. this post is over 64k. :wave:
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Yeah, but how user friendly would microsoft OS be today if Apple hadn't developed/implemented the parc-GUI in the first place? Besides, Atari and Commodore also "borrowed" a lot from Apple, IMHO in a much user friendlier fashion than microsoft did at the time (in the eighties, way before win 3.1)... Just a thought... /Mats

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What do we want? Procrastination!

When do we want it? Later!

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alot of "what ifs", im not saying gates pulled all his ideas out of a vacuum, i think alot of his success has come from 1) expanding on developing technology 2)securing certian rights to technology already in existance 3) having your competition screw up or get lazy 4) having legislation pass in your favor this worked for gates as it has for countless entrepeneurs,inventors and artists before him
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