This is pretty cool!

[aimeeandbeatles]

I just discovered a computer called Xerox Alto, which is WAY ahead of the time it was made. (1973)

take a look.

http://www.digibarn.com/collections/systems/xerox-alto/

If you really want to see it, check out the pictures here:

http://www.digibarn.com/collections/software/alto/index.html

 

[Genocidicbunny]

I have seen this computer in real life, actually working. Like a lot of stuff Xerox did in those days, it indeed was way ahead of its time. In fact, a lot of the things it did then that were cool we take for granted now ( Like having multiple keys pressed at the same time)

 

[Padma]

Remember, PARC (Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center) was one of the hotspots for computing back then. That's where Bill Gates (and Steve Jobs, too) stole the idea for Windows (and the Apple GUI).

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Doesn't Xerox make photocopiers?

 

[Padma]

Yes, they do. The name 'Xerox' is almost synonymous with photocopying.

 

[Mirc]

Yes, they do. The name 'Xerox' is almost synonymous with photocopying.

Seriously? And I was just about to point out that in my language a very weird thing occured and it's fully synonymous! It is.... ironically enough, the ONLY way to say "photocopier". If you are in a place like my city and you're desperately looking for a place to copy an important paper, don't look for names connected to "photo", "foto", "copy", etc... look for Xerox... It's the ONLY way to call it. The expression is, literally, "to pull papers at a Xerox" (to make a photocopy).

The same happened here with Adidas, which is the name a kind of shoe. And with "tennis", which is a different kind of shoe (spelled "tenis" because we don't like double consonants ). And even "basket" (short for "basketball") is a kind of shoe around here. Spelled "baschet".

 

[Genocidicbunny]

They were the big pioneers into Photocopying, so its not surprising that it would become almost or fully synonymous. After all, the first photocopying machines the public saw probably had Xerox plastered all over them.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Seriously? And I was just about to point out that in my language a very weird thing occured and it's fully synonymous! It is.... ironically enough, the ONLY way to say "photocopier". If you are in a place like my city and you're desperately looking for a place to copy an important paper, don't look for names connected to "photo", "foto", "copy", etc... look for Xerox... It's the ONLY way to call it. The expression is, literally, "to pull papers at a Xerox" (to make a photocopy).

The same happened here with Adidas, which is the name a kind of shoe. And with "tennis", which is a different kind of shoe (spelled "tenis" because we don't like double consonants ). And even "basket" (short for "basketball") is a kind of shoe around here. Spelled "baschet".

He's right. I found out that xerox was actually the name of a firm relatively recently (5-7 years ago).

 

[Padma]

Continuing the off-topic sidebar ...

It is very normal in language. For instance, here, "Band-Aid" is the name of a specific brand of adhesive bandage. But everybody always calls all adhesive bandages band-aids. In Britain, running a vacuum cleaner is often referred to as hoovering. Yet, "Hoover" is just a very common brand-name for a vacuum cleaner.

The list could go on....