2009 · Computer systems
The Alto demonstrated the possibilities of a personal, graphical, networked machine.
Visual guide
Build a personal workstation.
Show interactive graphical information.
Connect people and shared resources.
Personal workstations made graphical interfaces and networked applications tangible engineering possibilities.
The Alto was a research system, and its influence should be distinguished from later mass-market personal computers.
01 · The idea
Charles Thacker led the hardware design of the Xerox Alto and contributed to networking, multiprocessor workstations and other systems. The Alto combined a display, pointing device and computing resources at an individual’s desk. Its value came from bringing these capabilities into a working platform for new software and interaction.
Personal workstations made graphical interfaces and networked applications tangible engineering possibilities.
02 · The people
Charles Thacker designed influential computer hardware, most famously as a principal designer of the Xerox Alto personal computer. The Alto combined a graphical display, pointing device, local networking, and software into a new style of interactive computing. His later work at Digital and Microsoft continued to connect systems architecture with practical engineering. The award recognized both his pioneering personal-computing design and subsequent contributions to computer systems.
Read the biography ↗03 · Read further
Original explanations based on the official award record. The subject label is an editorial navigation aid.
Computer architecture became a quantitative study of useful work and trade-offs.
The story
Distributed systems need rules for ordering events and agreeing on state.
The story