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Raw Bytes Computer News KPBX FM 91.1 Radio National Public Radio Network Frank Delaney Producer Broadcast on Wednesday Morning 7:35 AM During Morning Edition Support Public Radio ! The Theater Of the Mind |
In computer news this week 04/23/2008 History
of the Microcomputer Revolution - Part 13 - A walk in the PARC PARC
stands for the Palo Alto Research Center, created by the Xerox Corporation in
the early 1970's as a think tank for computer research. Unfortunately for
Xerox it was only - that - a think tank. Xerox never capitalized on the major
PC technologies thought up and made into working prototypes at the PARC. They
had created what some people say was the true first personal computer - the
Alto - back in 1972, and from this Think Tank came most major PC world
technologies, including the concept of a Graphical User Interface with Icons,
the handheld mouse, object oriented programming, PC networking, desktop
publishing and laser printing. In 1979 Apple
Computer allowed Xerox to buy a million dollars of Apple stock in exchange
for allowing a few key Apple people - including Steve Jobs - to view inside
the Xerox PARC and talk to the think tank people for a limited time. Jobs and
his Apple associates were literally amazed at the technology they viewed, but
they were more amazed that Xerox wasn't doing anything with it. To the Xerox
scientists, the Apple people were the first people they had talked to who
understood what they were doing. Some of these scientist
who worked at the PARC later went to work for Apple and Microsoft, or started
their own companies. From this
brief visit, Apple's perception of what a personal computer should be was
changed instantly, and they began planning to produce a new computer which
would be based on the ideas they had seen at the PARC. In 1980, Microsoft's
Bill Gates also had an opportunity to see what was inside the magical
kingdom. In these early days of the microcomputer revolution, Apple and
Microsoft actually worked very closely together on many projects. For Raw
Bytes So when
IBM announced its personal computer in 1981, the Apple people were dismayed
both at how bad it was technically - and how well it sold. Even Microsoft -
who had come up with the operating system for it and the Basic language, also
knew at the time how much better a personal computer should really be. During
the 3rd quarter of the Super Bowl in 1984, people saw an advertisement which
left people saying "What was that
?" and which marked the introduction of the Apple Macintosh
computer, a smaller and better version of PARC technology, reasonably priced
at $ 2495, and portable - a computer which Apple advertising said was
"For the rest of us.." and Bill Gates even said it was finally a computer his Mom
could use. The Mac
was an immediate success in many areas, and drew a cult following of
technology junkies and IBM haters, despite the fact that it was somewhat
underpowered and radically different from all the other PC's at the time. |
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For Raw Bytes This is Frank Delaney (C) 2008 MTA Micro
Technology Associates http://www.mtamicro.com/kpbx.html PO Box 31522 Spokane, Wa 99223-1522 (509)624-7230 |
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