Crazy Eddie's Used ComputersNov 19
I declare that today, Nov. 19, 2025 is the 50th anniversary of BitBLT, a routine so fundamental to computer graphics that we don't even think about it having an origin. A working (later optimized) implementation was devised on the Xerox Alto by members of the Smalltalk team. It made it easy to arbitrarily copy and move arbitrary rectangles of bits in a graphical bitmap. It was this routine that made Smalltalk's graphical interface possible. Below is part of a PARC-internal memo detailing it:
Show threadsonjaNov 19
@fvzappa im not really a nerdy computer person but how is it that xerox literally developed some of the most important things used in modern computing and no one talks about it? (mostly im talking about GUIs) is it odd? its seems odd to me.
Show threadjosh susserNov 19
@emily_rugburn @fvzappa They wrote a whole book about it: "Fumbling the Future", by Douglas K Smith and Robert C Alexander (1988). tldr: They were a copier company that made money selling replacement paper and toner and had no idea how to enter new markets. Then Apple ran away with it.
Show threadsonja
@joshsusser @fvzappa ok finding this book now. thank you!  
Nov 19 at 4:50pmWeb
Show threadjosh susserNov 19
@emily_rugburn @fvzappa I don't think it's mentioned in the book, but Xerox did actually sell a few Alto computers. They were sold to the US Senate, and were used for "document processing" IIRC - basically text editing and email. Then there were some later models sold to intelligence organizations for use by analysts. But it wasn't enough to build a business on.