Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age

Here are the good books trying to answer your question among others:

https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Machine-M-Mitchell-Waldrop/dp/1...

https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer...

Showstopper![1] covers Windows NT in a similar vein and Dealers of Lightning[2] is another good read that goes into some if the really interesting history of Xerox PARC.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Showstopper-Breakneck-Windows-Generat...

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer...

I kinda feel like Dealers of Lightning should be required reading at this point[1], both for the breadth of invention and how they squandered it.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer...

actually, i like "Michael A. Hiltzik’s Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age" (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887309895/) much better than the wizards book.

it is quite a long read, but is very good.

I'm a huge fan of the biography Jean Renoir (the acclaimed film director) wrote about his father, Auguste Renoir (the acclaimed Impressionist painter), Renoir, My Father - https://www.amazon.com/Renoir-My-Father-Jean/dp/B001MPDDME

For a gripping tale of technology and hacking, The Cuckoo's Egg never fails: https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espiona...

And, as someone reminded me in the thread about Xerox and Fujifilm, Dealers of Lightning tells the story of Xerox PARC, the Alto, Steve Jobs' visit, etc: https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer...

https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer... is a much better account. Great book.

More detail on changing the system while running, and a comment at the bottom from Alan Kay retelling this same story:

https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer... Try the "look inside" for "Steve Jobs Gets His Show and Tell".

Taylor had an immense impact both direct and indirect on the nature of computing as we know it today, it's a little sad he's not better known.

Dealers of Lightning does a great job detailing his role in it all - https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer... that along with soul of a new machine really capture the spirit of that 60s/70s generation of computing.

Ever hear of the laser printer, local networking and the GUI? https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer...

Some that I liked:

- Hackers : http://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Computer-Revolution-Anniversar...

- The Soul of a New Machine: http://www.amazon.com/The-Soul-A-New-Machine/dp/0316491977

- Show Stopper! : http://www.amazon.com/Show-Stopper-Breakneck-Generation-Micr...

- Dealers of Lightning: http://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer/...

- Where Wizards Stay Up Late: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Wizards-Stay-Up-Late/dp/06848326...

I was working as my department's internal R&D director a couple years ago and I was interested in the first question as well. Note that that position probably sounds way more important than it actually was. Coincidentally, it was at one of the places Alan Kay mentions in an answer to the linked Quora question.

I pretty much focused on 3 different entities: DARPA, Xerox PARC, and Bell Labs. These are the books I read to try to answer that question:

[1] Dealers of Lightning. https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer... [2] The Department of Mad Scientists. https://www.amazon.com/Department-Mad-Scientists-Remaking-Ar... [3] The Idea Factory. https://www.amazon.com/Idea-Factory-Great-American-Innovatio...

I personally thought that having access to a diverse set of disciplines & skills and a reasonable budget were two of the more important things.

"Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age" is pretty good:

http://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer/...