Did you get your computer a card today?

[Symarip]

The personal computer is officially 40 years old today...

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/391203_pc4009.html

Mine doesn't look a day over 32.

[redqueen]

1. I thought it was just the mouse.

That's all BBC World was talking about all morning... mouse mouse mouse. They even had a super old one and they showed footage of it being demonstrated and everything.

[RandomThoughts]

2. I am Skeptical.

The use of a graphic interface, to my memory, first introduced by Apple, was a huge step forward. And it was innovative. To say the mouse which requires a graphic user interface was around back in 1968 sounds a bit odd. Considering other computers were not considering their use.

Furthermore, the heath kit was a build at home computer, one of the first out there, it did not have graphic user interface, nor mouse.

Dos did not have graphic user interface, command line was all their was.

And again from memory, I am not even sure the touch screen was around in 1968 and I think that was what was wanted for GUI before mouse.

Explain to me. Did any mainframes at colleges from 1960 to 1980 have a mouse? They were using punch card input. To assume a mouse was available and nobody used it is a bit odd.

More: I have found sites that say graphic user interface was first developed by Lisa 1983. And a mouse has no purpose without a GUI. So they may have made a box with buttons, but it did not have the functionality of a mouse. Unless it was under a National Security Secret, and was kept for military use only. If that was the case, then it should be in article.

Quite simply, I do not agree with this in the form it is talked about.

[RandomThoughts]

3. hmmm

http://inventors.about.com/library/blcoindex.htm
Looking at a site that also says windows was invented in 1964 not 1968.

Again this sounds odd, I think Xerox started windows GUI, and MS bought idea from them, something like that.

Maybe they are giving credit for windows, under invention of timeslicing, alowing multi apps to run simultaniously. Again not the same thing.

I may be hung up on syntax here, but these articles seem to not be as concise about what was invented. Or again they just were not released to public sector, and if that is true, they should mention that.