Re: [NTLK] Microsoft Tablet PC's designer

From: Daedalus (daedalus1_at_telocity.com)
Date: Sat Nov 16 2002 - 14:37:26 EST


>>>he may have invented the 'mouse', but he copied the idea, from the
trackball, which was invented by two engineers, working on RADAR
"Two engineers came up with a trackball, the innards of the mouse, a full =
11
years before Englebart unveiled his device. Moreover, it was used to select =
a
position on a screen to convey information to a processor, which is the
fundamental operation of a GUI. One of the engineers, 80-year-old Tom
Cranston, is still alive and living in Scotland"

so it seems everyone copied everyone else<<<

Well, ok. But Engelbart actually had a computer that pretty much did what =
the Xerox PARC computers did (on-screen editing, using a mouse, with =
hyperlinks you "click"). I doubt the RADAR guys were using their system to =
write and edit documents, videoconference, collaborate on documents, etc.

So, I don't think it's ridiculous at all to compare the Engelbart computers =
to the Xerox ones. Thacker may have refined the idea a bit, and may have =
put "icons" on the screen, but the ideas and technologies were already =
there (in a working system) beforehand, and Thacker failed to get Xerox to =
market the stuff. So, I fail to see any reason to say Thacker or Xerox =
"invented" the personal computer. I think Steve Jobs/Wozniak and Apple =
have much more of a claim to that particular distinction, seeing as they =
actually *marketed* the things to people. I think Xerox is highly =
overrated.

So, in closing, it's wholly evident the Microsoft Tablet PCs are doomed to =
failure. ;-)=

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