[Tfug] Microsoft reportedly wants open source software users to pa y rolyalties

[George Cohn]

Paul Scott wrote:

> 
> My understanding is that Jobs toured PARC and even though there was
> networking and windows the mouse was what stuck in his head.

Here's a part of a transcription of an interview on PBS called "Triumph 
of the Nerds" where they interviewed many of the pioneers of the 
computer age from PARC, Apple, and MS:

Steve Jobs had co-founded Apple Computer in 1976. The first popular 
personal computer, the Apple 2, was a hit - and made Steve Jobs one of 
the biggest names of a brand-new industry. At the height of Apple's 
early success in December 1979, Jobs, then all of 24, had a privileged 
invitation to visit Xerox Parc.

Steve Jobs
And they showed me really three things. But I was so blinded by the 
first one I didn't even really see the other two. One of the things they 
showed me was object orienting programming they showed me that but I 
didn't even see that. The other one they showed me was a networked 
computer system...they had over a hundred Alto computers all networked 
using email etc., etc., I didn't even see that. I was so blinded by the 
first thing they showed me which was the graphical user interface. I 
thought it was the best thing I'd ever seen in my life. Now remember it 
was very flawed, what we saw was incomplete, they'd done a bunch of 
things wrong. But we didn't know that at the time but still though they 
had the germ of the idea was there and they'd done it very well and 
within you know ten minutes it was obvious to me that all computers 
would work like this some day.

George Cohn