In 1979, the Xerox Alto was an amazing computer and the predecessor to the later commercial version called the Star. The Star would later fail miserably after the release of the Macintosh. But in this commercial, the Alto is depicted as a futuristic office machine that would change the way companies conduct business. Among the first machines of its kind, the Alto featured an easy-to-use graphical interface (GUI) and a mouse.

The Alto really could send and receive emails, send documents to a laser printer, and display reasonably high-quality images (which took forever to load, of course). Unlike in the commercial, however, the Alto didn’t actually have the ability to follow voice commands. What it did is lay the foundation for many generations of computers to follow. In fact, Steve Jobs was said to have visited Xerox’s research center and was given a copy of the Alto’s GUI. The Alto clearly influenced the designs of Apple and other computer companies, making it one of the most influential computers in history.

The post Xerox’s Alto Commercial Shows Off Historic Office Machine first appeared on Gajitz.

If you’re old enough, you’ll immediately recognize the form of this miniature computer: it’s a tiny working replica of Apple’s iconic Macintosh. John Leake of RetroMacCast built this 1/3 scale model from scratch.

Using a 3.5″ composite monitor, some easily-shaped PVC, a Raspberry Pi, and other various electronic bits, Leake made a tiny functional Macintosh that has some very modern guts.

On the back of the little Apple are two USB ports, an ethernet port, and an HDMI port. The computer charges via USB and has Bluetooth connectivity so you can use a wireless keyboard and mouse to control it.

Dealing with such a tiny space meant that Leake had to modify the computer’s hardware a bit. Some cutting and soldering were needed to get everything to fit into the very small case. While the Macintosh runs System 6 thanks to the Mini vMac Emulator, the floppy disc slot on the front is sadly non-functional.

The post Tiny Macintosh Replica is a Working Copy of the Original first appeared on Gajitz.

Most people don’t see much else in pictures of those old, massive computers than giant, archaic messes of cables and boxes. It’s difficult to relate them to the pocket-sized computers we carry around today. Steeped in obscurity, one writer pulled a bunch of gigantic old computers out for a list dubbed “10 Colossal Old Computers That Changed History.”

Each computer on the list serves as a presentation of modern computer features. For example, one computer may have been the first to use RAM, another being the first to use a video display. They all, however, have one thing in common: they moved computer science ahead in ways that the people building and operating them could never have imagined.

Five of the 10 computers were ultimately used in militaristic capacities such as artillery routing and code breaking. The list probably won’t appeal to those who aren’t interested in the roles computers have played in our past. It is, however, humbling to look at those old, massive machines while using one no bigger than a newspaper.

The post Big Ol’ Computers: Huge Historic Precursors to Your Laptop first appeared on Gajitz.