Have you ever wondered why personal computers look and feel the way they do, or why we use an oddball device called the mouse? Most have not. Yet buried in Xerox's history lay a story of great innovation, missed opportunity, and the failing to leave a well known footprint on the computer industry. How has Xerox impacted the computer industry and who usually gets the credit? The story begins in California at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) 40 years ago.
In the early 1970's the copier company Xerox grew concerned the days to come would be a paperless world. Fearing obsolescence they would decide to move toward a future in computer technology. They acted swiftly. PARC opened in 1970 and withing three years Xerox already assembled several brilliant minds from the computer industry to work there. Former PARC manager of laser projects Don Scifres recalled “The breadth and amount of work that was accomplished during the 1970's and early 1980's was pretty incredible, and it was primarily a result of the people they hired” (Kincade 45). To begin Douglas Engelbart, creator of the mouse, introduced the pointing device to the PARC team and also developed bit mapping which is a process of segmenting the screen into smaller images. This led the PARC team to create an interface dubbed the GUI or graphical user interface. This was a way to point and click on the computer screen causing a process to occur instead of typing out commands in complicated computer jargon. Also created at PARC was the laser printer. Having similar mechanics to a copier this was an obvious invention for a company like Xerox. This created a need to know what your final print was going to look like on a new laser printer. WYSIWYG, or What You See Is What You Get, was PARC's way of formatting a computer screen to show you font styles, sizes, and spacing as close to exact as possible. It was as if you were holding the paper printout in front of your face. Another development was Ethernet, better understood as a way computers can talk or share information with each other. It was the first wire connected network for computers in the same location. In a decade PARC had developed technologies that would be the future of computing for years to come.
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In 500 B.C. the abacus was first used by the Babylonians as an aid to simple arithmetic. In 1623 Wihelm Schickard (1592 - 1635) invented a "Calculating Clock". This mechanical machine could add and subtract up to 6 digit numbers, and warned of an overflow by ringing a bell. J. H. Mueller comes up with the idea of the "difference engine", in 1786. This calculator could tabulate values of a polynomial. Muellers attempt to raise funds fails and the project was forgotten. Scheutz and his son Edward produced a 3rd order difference engine with a printer in 1843 and their government agreed to fund their next project.
interpositions of computers is that their role in directing what we will see or know is so rarely noticed," (247). Throughout this paper, I will examine the advancement of inventions, work ethics, jobs, and how the compu...
to replace the IBM machine. In the 1960s and the 1970s IBM came out quickly and built a
At the moment, Xerox had two clear distinct options. First option is to stick with what is best at printing, copying and delivering exclusively the Book-In-Time technology. Meaning, selling Book-In-Time equipment to all those elements of the value chain t...
As a multinational, Xerox specializes in technology and services and operates under two different market environments, the macro and microenvironment. In the microenvironment, the company has influence while in the macro-environment the company cannot make market changes.
Xerox is the world’s leading enterprise for business process and document management. They offer a number of products and services in the business industry. Ranging from their ever recognizable office equipment which include printers, copiers, multifunction printers and supplies. Since xerox was founded on the xerography method they have come a long way technically and globally from a simple copying machine company. They constantly strive to bring to market the most technologically advanced and functional office equipment available to market. Xerox understands that they have a large customer ba...
Then came Linus Benedict Torvalds. At the time he was a sophomore majoring in Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, his hobby also included computer programming. At 21 he found himself spending most of his time toying with computer systems, trying to see what he could do in order to push their limits and increase their functionality. The key missing in his tests was an operating system that had the flexibility craved for by professionals. MINIX was available, though it was still just a stu...
...e the graphic interface while showing text and pictures. Unlike MS-DOS the text would only appear as coding. The new graphic interface used software called VisiCorp which was easier to use. Two years before the creation of Windows Bill gave an announcement saying they made an operating system called Windows which would be compatible with all computers. The announcement was a total lie, since Microsoft had no software under advancement. Windows looked very similar to Macintosh that Apple had made two years before. Apple had given Microsoft complete access to their technology while Microsoft was working on software that would run on Macintosh computers. Bill advised Apple to authorize their software but they ignored Bill since all they wanted to do is sell the computers. Bill took full advantage of the problem and created software extremely similar to the Macintosh.
Born in the eighties, I entered a world of big hair and bad style. In the technological realm there were tape players, VCR’s, and fresh on the market: personal computers. Apple was domination the computer scene with their introduction of the Lisa computer. But not for long, soon computer technology would jump to unimaginable heights. As I grew up the technology around me would continue to grow and advance – quite rapidly I might add.
The Osborne Computer Corporation was founded in 1980 by Adam Osborne. This company was founded upon the idea of developing one product, the portable computer system. The first Osborne 1 was shown at the National Computer Conference in May of 1981 and was an instant hit. It brought brand new concepts to the table, such as a built-in screen and an optional battery back. (2) This computer, though a success, had lots of room for technological advances. A small 5" screen and a weight of 24.5 lbs left users wanting more. Surprisingly, it wasn't the mobility of the computer that was the selling point, but it was the $1500 worth of software that was included in the $1795 price tag. To the business consumer, this was an incredible deal. Within the first 8 months of sales, 11,000 units were shipped and 50,000 were on backorder. The success of the world's first portable computer was apparent, but the business smarts of the Osborne Computer Corporation were not. After massive success with the Osborne 1, the company began to develop a new portable computer system to sell. Despite the rampant success of the Osborne 1, several other computer companies offered a large amount of competition. Not only did the competition make improvements upon the Osborne 1, but they also introduced a new a new IBM operating system that was faster and had more software titles available. Although the competition was heavy, the Osborne 1 continued to sell until early in 1983 when Adam Osborne announced the future arrival of a new product from the Osborne Computer Corporation. This announcement killed the demand for the Osborne 1 in anticipation for its replacement. As inventory increased, sales decreased until Sept. 13th, 1983 when Osborne Computer Corporation filed for bankruptcy. (3)
Computers are changing the world as we know it, and they offer an exciting new way of working. The news represented a complete turnaround for the corporate giant. Microsoft Chairperson, Bill Gates publicly announced his company's new connection to the Internet. The announcement rang through the nation. Gates has consistently ignored the Internet in favor of desktop computing. So, with Microsoft's approval, computers kicked into even higher gear . The pace of innovation continues to astonish even those involved from the start. If one wants to find enthusiasm, intellect, hard work, and imagination; then computers is the place to be .
Computers lacked the power to operate on a GUI, or graphical user interface, system. A GUI is a windows and icons system, where the user clicks on icons to operate the computer. Computers of the time ran text interfaces requiring the user to understand commands and communicate with the computer through text prompts. This was not ideal for the average user because it took time to learn how to operate the device. Processes are individual piece...
Thousands of years ago calculations were done using people’s fingers and pebbles that were found just lying around. Technology has transformed so much that today the most complicated computations are done within seconds. Human dependency on computers is increasing everyday. Just think how hard it would be to live a week without a computer. We owe the advancements of computers and other such electronic devices to the intelligence of men of the past.