tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8007219760463678844.post5777115892337367310..comments2023-09-13T08:13:12.905-05:00Comments on Musings of a Renaissance Man in training: "The Thomas Edison of Our Time"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13797643566097002635noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8007219760463678844.post-80252927418034133242013-02-18T20:46:04.014-06:002013-02-18T20:46:04.014-06:00I know this is old, old, old news but I did want t...I know this is old, old, old news but I did want to dispute Apple inventing the Graphical User Experience. The first GUI was developed by Xerox for their Alto computer, and it used the desktop and folder metaphors for file organization, as well as a pointing device for interaction. Steve "borrowed" the concept after a visit to Xerox and made it their own by adding the File menu that's still there. Apple did have the first "personal computer" (I know that Mac cultists shudder that they used to be called such) to use a GUI, the LISA named after Jobs's daughter, who he denied paternity of until her teens, when he reconciled with her and paid for her to attend Harvard.<br />In GUI terms, Microsoft did pay appropriate license elements for inspiration of Apple's GUI, which later Apple sued them over, then Xerox joined in to sue Apple for stealing the concept and claiming intellectual ownership. Xerox and Apple lost.<br />Timeline:<br />1973- Xerox Alto developed and used for business applications.<br />1979- Jobs visits Xerox PARC and observes Alto in operation. Lisa development folds in use of a GUI<br />1981- Microsoft begins development of independent project "Interface Manager" as an overlay to DOS<br />1983- Apple Lisa Released<br />1985- Windows 1.0 released Is capable of overlapping Windows on the desktop but disables ability due to a seperately developed and filed copyright held by Apple. Apple claimed that MS did license 189 other elements of their interface.<br />1988- MS releases windows 2.0. Apple files lawsuit against MS and HP for infringment of window overlapping and other supposed infringements.<br />1994- The court finally decides that Apple doesn't own the rights to the concept of the Desktop metaphor that they didn't invent.Clint M. Parryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16344421922291975748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8007219760463678844.post-36965369788766220442011-10-06T15:09:28.333-05:002011-10-06T15:09:28.333-05:00*granT not granD....grrr*granT not granD....grrrSarahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8007219760463678844.post-76394833942228106302011-10-06T15:09:00.274-05:002011-10-06T15:09:00.274-05:00I remember the green Macs that we got at Central.....I remember the green Macs that we got at Central....they were all the rage and everyone wanted to get on them...now they're laughably outdated...I also remember the laptop word processors we received, undoubtedly part of a grand of some sort...they were the subject of many a school yard disagreements...ah Central Central Central...Sarahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8007219760463678844.post-44595699688388055682011-10-06T11:59:39.018-05:002011-10-06T11:59:39.018-05:00Damn you, Central Lee School Systems! You've l...Damn you, Central Lee School Systems! You've lead me astray!<br /><br />I apologize - Thomas Edison made great improvements to the light bulb, bringing it to the level that it is today. He did not, in fact invent the light bulb out of whole cloth. Not out of any cloth, in fact.<br /><br />And I apologize to Sir Humphry Davy for the eternal overshadowing that Edison has caused. I'm sure he rolls in his grave everyday for these misattributed accolades.<br /><br />As an interesting side note, I probably first learned about Edison on a Macintosh computer. And we've come full circle, and back to the point of this post.<br /><br />~CWChris Walljasperhttp://www.chriswalljasper.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8007219760463678844.post-47018397837105565662011-10-06T10:09:08.901-05:002011-10-06T10:09:08.901-05:00Thomas Edison invented the carbon filament. The li...Thomas Edison invented the carbon filament. The light bulb had been around since 1802 and is first credited to Sir Humphry Davy.adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00233767993925423908noreply@blogger.com