In a convention hall 40 years ago today, a computer scientist took to the stage and blew the crowd away with a couple of screens and the world's first computer mouse. In a presentation that was later dubbed the "mother of all demos," Stanford researcher Douglas Engelbart showed off his lab's research project: the first personal computer, complete with a mouse and an interactive screen.
The invention featured rudimentary windows and hyperlinks that allowed jumping from one document to another, as well as the ability to edit text and add graphics on a video monitor. The presentation also offered a peek at future computer networks that would become the Internet [San Francisco Chronicle].
At the end of the demonstration, the crowd rose in a standing ovation. Today, an event at Stanford will honor the 83-year-old Engelbart and commemorate his moment of glory.
The demo was the fruit of nearly 10 ...
