[vcf-midatlantic] Xerox Wildflowers - Dandelions and Daybreaks

[Tony Bogan]

While we know better, I still find it amusing that people believe that jobs was “visiting” PARC, or given a “tour,” saw the Alto/Star/whatever machine running the GUI, ran back to Apple and “stole” Xerox’s ideas and created the Mac.

I find it amusing because there is ample evidence to prove no such thing ever happened, in reality it was a business deal that in essence traded Apple stock for use of Xerox IP, but I guess the conspiracy sites are more fun to read.

Tony

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 17, 2020, at 4:49 PM, Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
> 
> Yes, exactly. They were focused on advanced document processing systems and
> couldn’t even hold onto that market, even with such advanced tech.
> 
>> On Mon, Aug 17, 2020 at 4:46 PM Adam Michlin <amichlin at swerlin.com> wrote:
>> 
>> My father, who was working at Exxon at the time, got special permission
>> 
>> through his boss to visit PARC some time, he thinks, between 78-82...
>> 
>> not entirely sure. He is pretty certain it was before Jobs visited, but
>> 
>> he can't be sure. Apparently he had to all but sign his first born away
>> 
>> (*phew*) that he wouldn't leak any secrets.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> What he is crystal clear on is that he was shown the Alto and the Dorado
>> 
>> and not the Star and that Xerox had no commericial products of the GUI
>> 
>> computer ilk. He would later purchase a Star as part of responsibilities
>> 
>> at Exxon, probably around 1983.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> As to how Xerox could have dropped the ball.. it is more like how could
>> 
>> they not have dropped the ball. They were a *copier* company and they
>> 
>> were making money hand over fist selling copiers. This new fangled
>> 
>> computer business? Meh. They also lost out on the personal laser printer
>> 
>> and Ethernet (double doh!).
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On 8/17/2020 3:07 PM, Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
>>> 
>>> Turns out it was Altos. The Star was the commercialized successor to the
>> 
>>> Alto.
>> 
>>> 
>> 
>>> On Mon, Aug 17, 2020 at 2:59 PM Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic <
>> 
>>> vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>> 
>>>> On Mon, Aug 17, 2020 at 10:08 AM Andrew Diller <dillera at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>>> 
>> 
>>>>> I know DavidG has done some amazing work (along with other members) on
>> 
>>>>> VCF's 8010 (*Dandelion)*... And strangely enough the same day
>> (yesterday)
>> 
>>>>> someone on the SGI Discord I frequent posted this amazing video, which
>> I
>> 
>>>>> thought I'd share to interested people here:
>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
>>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10Dlr5rY9SI
>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
>>>>> Of a Daybreak (*Xerox 6085)* booting up into ViewPoint 2.0 and using
>> the
>> 
>>>>> apps. VCF also has a Daybreak which would be great to get fully
>> 
>>>> functional
>> 
>>>>> again as well.
>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
>>>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerox_Daybreak
>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
>>>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerox_Star
>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
>>>>> I'm not sure of the dates, but do people know if the Xerox Star would
>> 
>>>> have
>> 
>>>>> been the system that Jobs and the Apple team viewed at Xerox back when
>> 
>>>> they
>> 
>>>>> had their infamous visits? Or were those Altos?
>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
>>>> I wonder if the book "Dealers of Lightning" has any details about this.
>> 
>>>> 
>> 
>>>> 
>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
>>>>> -andy
>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
>>>>> 
>> 
>>>> --
>> 
>>>> =========================================
>> 
>>>> Jeff Brace
>> 
>>>> Vice President & Board Member
>> 
>>>> Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner
>> 
>>>> Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity
>> 
>>>> http://www.vcfed.org/
>> 
>>>> jeffrey at vcfed.org
>> 
>>>> cell: 732-759-1783
>> 
>>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>