Computing Demo

Englebert and his team really changed the way people interacted with their computers. I think the most profound idea is the mouse. The made the option available to go back to any point in a document with one easy motion. You could also use it to navigate in different ways. It made the drag-and-drop feature possible. It also made making and editing lists much easier. One could reorder items, sub-categorize them, or change the hierarchy views. This was very different than the punch cards of previous, where changes weren’t made before your eyes.

The one thing I did disagree with was Englebert’s notion that having the computer to assist us will make us far more productive. From the learning curve, to the upkeep and constant training, to distractions and nowadays, burnouts trying to be as productive as possible (many times to compete with technologies), maybe we computed ourselves into a corner…

I think IBM was really incredible at looking at what the global practical needs where, and designing products for that. From barcodes and magnetic payment strips, IBM shaped the modern day shopping experience, as well as many other industries such as space travel, and personal computing.