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Bill Atkinson: Polaroids Showing the Evolution of the Lisa GUI [video]

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145 points zdw | 2 comments | 21 Jun 25 15:13 UTC | HN request time: 0.781s | source
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smallduck ◴[21 Jun 25 22:33 UTC] No.44341225[source]▶
To anyone who thought Apple simply copied what they called at Xerox Parc, check this one out.
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ethan_smith ◴[25 Jun 25 12:53 UTC] No.44376745[source]▶
The Xerox influence was real but limited - Apple's team iterated extensively as shown in these polaroids, adding crucial innovations like drag-and-drop, pull-down menus, and the desktop metaphor that weren't in the original Alto/Star interfaces.
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HarHarVeryFunny ◴[25 Jun 25 16:48 UTC] No.44379352[source]▶
In context those are just tweaks ... Xerox designed the entire WIMP (Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pointer) UI concept, including the bitmapped display it is based on, first commercial mouse, ethernet networking ...

Xerox's invention was visionary and pioneering. Apple's was just engineering iteration.

It's as if one company designed the automobile and you want to give outsized credit to someone else who added turn indicators.

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1. mmmlinux ◴[25 Jun 25 17:55 UTC] No.44380051[source]▶
That is basically how cars have progressed though..
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2. HarHarVeryFunny ◴[25 Jun 25 18:35 UTC] No.44380502[source]▶
Sure - there's a lot of value that can be added though iterative refinement and enhancement, but let's give credit for innovation where it is due.