The Xerox Parc Alto was the first real desktop to make computing “personal”—its features included a graphical user interface, an ethernet connection, the first mouse, one of the first video games, a windows screen arrangement, a bitmap editor, and an early paint program. While Xerox famously failed to commercialize it, Steve Jobs saw its remarkable features and incorporated them into the Mac. This image is in the public domain.
Instructor(s)
William Bonvillian
MIT Course Number
STS.081 / 17.395J
As Taught In
Spring 2017
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
This course focuses on science and technology policy—it will examine the science and technology innovation system, including case studies on energy, computing, advanced manufacturing, and health sectors, with an emphasis on public policy and the federal government's role in that system.