9fans archive / 2000 / 09 / 50 /    prev next

From: "Boyd Roberts" <boyd@noo...>
Subject: Re: [9fans] Re: Kernighan interview (w/ Plan 9 mention)
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2000 21:45:57 +0200

From: Boyd Roberts <boyd@pla...>
> From: Douglas A. Gwyn <gwyn@arl...>
> > (This reminds me of the Blit
> > marketing that could have competed with X11 but didn't.)
> > 
> 
> reminds me of PARC.

i thought i should qualify that last statement.  [Xerox] PARC
invented the Alto [bitmapped display], ethernet and the laser
printer.  this was ~1975.  the alto had a mouse, but the mouse
was not invented at PARC.

my reference (rather than 'doing a boyd' or by force of argument):

    Fumbling the Future
    Douglas K. Smith and Robert C. Alexandre
    ISBN: 0-688-06959-2

they even had a design on the board for a laser printer that
_could not be built_ because it was far in advance of the,
then, current technology.

steve jobs took a tour of PARC which turned into that abortion
known as the 'Mac'.

those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it...