History of the Computer

CPU

Also called processor or microprocessor. Made it possible to have a mainframe computer on a desk.

Operating System

"Internal traffic cop" of the computer. Makes sure simple instructions like turning a computer on and off are controlled without having to give the computer instructions every time.

WYSIWYG

"What you see is what you get." A killer application for the Mac that allowed things to be printed as they were seen on the screen

Windows

A GUI that Microsoft developed on top of MS DOS because they were concerned about Apple's GUI. They made steady improvements over time. They were sued by Apple for stealing the look and feel of the GUI developed by Apple. Apple lost the lawsuit. Made IBM PCs as easy to use as the Macintosh and sold many copies

Homebrew Computer Club

A club and meeting of people involved in early technology. Met at Stanford University every Wednesday. A program for the Altair was made that allowed a connected radio to play a song.

Lotus 123

A new spreadsheet developed for IBM's personal computers based on VisiCalc

Steve Jobs

Co-Founder of Apple Computers, in charge of vision and business

Steve Wozniak

Co-Founder of Apple Computers, technical brains. Figured out how to shrink the amount of memory needed, then fewer and smaller transistors, then smaller circuit boards. This led to a smaller computer

Gordon Moore

Co-founder of Intel. Helped establish the Silicon Valley workplace manner.

CPM

The PCs first operating system. Invented by Gary Kildall. Was not patented

VisiCalc

The first electronic spreadsheet created for the Apple II. Allowed people to "run the numbers" in a more automated and correct fashion. Gave more reason for people to buy a computer beyond just for fun.

Apple 2

The first personal computer to look like a more modern personal computer. Didn't have many uses for regular people, but killer applications like VisiCalc made it more important

Software license

To be able to use software for as long as they want and for whatever they want.

GUI

Using pictures rather than words to execute commands on a computer. Steve Jobs saw this on a visit to PARC and thought it was revolutionary and that it would be the way computers would operate. All operating systems before windows used to have a command line interface. Meaning that each command for the computer had to be typed out.

Steve Ballmer

Vice President of Microsoft

Desktop Publishing

could create personal images that you could print

Computer Language

programming language that is designed to communicate instructions to a machine

Killer Application

an application on a new piece of technology that is so useful you would by this new technology just to have it

Ed Roberts

Doctor by trade. Founded MITS, originally a calculator company. and built the Altair. Even though he was the inventor of the personal computer, he did not make very much money because other people, like Apple Computers, expanded upon his idea and developed a much larger market

Altair 8800

First personal computer first invented by Ed Roberts. Did not have many uses and was tedious to use, required different switches to be flipped in a specific sequence to input code.

Apple 1

First personal computer from Apple. Circuit board with no case or keyboard

Adele Goldberg

Former Xerox PARC researcher. Was told by PARC to show Steve Jobs how to create a GUI. Did not want to show Apple the PARC GUIs but she decided to do what her bosses told her to do and Steve Jobs created his own version of the Alto.

John Sculley

Former head of Pepsi who was convinced by Steve Jobs to help him work on the Macintosh and provide funds for it. With the failure of the Macintosh, he wanted Jobs out of the company to move in a different direction.

Paul Allen

Founded Microsoft with Bill Gates. Invented BASIC

Bill Gates

Founded Microsoft with Paul Allen. Invented the personal computer. Invented BASIC

Rod Canion

Founder of Compaq, a big competitor to IBM. Made first successful clone of IBM computers. Used reverse engineering to make their own separate product that worked in a similar way.

PARC

High tech research and development company. Part of the company Xerox that did research on computers and developed the first personal computer with a GUI. Xerox didn't believe that the work being done would make money and so they allowed Apple to see a demo of it working and allowed them to exploit it.

Bill Lowe

IBMer who ran a lab in Florida. He didn't want IBM to wait on the PC market because if they did, they might not be able to capitalize on the money that could be made.

Jeff Raskin

In charge of trying to create a cheaper Lisa called Macintosh. Wanted to develop a less expensive computer that had many of the elements of the Alto computer that Apple was shown. Jobs took over the Macintosh project from him.

Grace Hopper

Invented COBAL that translated words into binary code. Did not get rich off of it

Gary Kildall

Invented PCs first operating system in CPM. Wrote for his own use and started to sell them. Wasn't interested in business and missed out on an opportunity to patent his work. Along with his wife turned IBM away when they asked if they could sign a NDA and said they couldn't sign it

Arthur Rock

Inventor of Venture Capital. Original investor in Intel and later an investor in Apple who helped bring about the money needed to make more of the Apple II

BASIC

Language of computers. Made by Bill Gates and Microsoft that let the Altair be used for fun and for work. Still used today.

Venture Capital

Money invested in a project that involved a large amount of risk.

clones

Other personal computers that looked and functioned very much like an IBM PC. Tried to clone it through reverse engineering. Began to overtake IBM because of their slow pace

Garage

Place where many pioneers of the computer and technology industry began the pursuit of their early ideas.

Q-DOS

Quick and dirty operating system. A local company made it. Microsoft wanted to buy it. Tim Patterson invented the basis for it, although the code wasn't completely original and looked a lot like CPM