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The Demo That Changed the World
In 1968, Douglas Englebart shared his grocery list and a weird wooden contraption called a "mouse" with the public and revolutionized the way we use computers (3:39)
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Comments (2)
I worked for many years as a software engineer. I am insulted every time I hear members of my profession referred to as "geeks". This isn't a concept that existed until recently. The word must have been invented for a TV sitcom. It trivializes my profession and very inaccurately represents the many different men and women, jobs, and history of this field. It produces a misleadng, immature, and dead-end stereotype. Now you have used this word in a Smithsonian video presentation as though it were a valid term. Please don't use your respected position in the world to perpetuate this silly caricature of computer professionals, 95% of which you would not recognize on the street as "geeks".
Posted by Ms. Terry Carnes on July 31,2012 | 04:31 PM
I thought the mouse was invented by scientists associated with Xerox (PARC). It was used in a computer called the Star. This machine never reached popularity - probably due to poor marketing. Later, Apple siezed the concept and added the mouse to the Apple IIe and the Macintosh computers. I am pleased to see this video give credit to the original inventer of the mouse: Douglas Engelbart.
Posted by Ron Abate on July 28,2012 | 09:30 AM