Who Coined "WYSIWYG"? Nope! Try Again

Let's start at the beginning.

Ethernet

1973. Engineers at this company were the first to conceptualise a local area network (LAN).

With multiple computers, printers and files. All connected via coaxial cables.

Communicating with each other. Transmitting data to and fro. Following a set of rules.

They called it "Ethernet". After "luminiferous ether".

The company trademarked it in 1976. But gave up its rights in 1980.

So that Ethernet could go on to become an industry standard. With the patronage of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Over the years, Ethernet evolved. Into:

• Fast Ethernet (FE)

• Gigabit Ethernet (GE)

• 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10G)

• Power over Ethernet (PoE).

Always remaining compatible backwards.

Ethernet is, of course, faster, more secure and more stable than WiFi. It continues as the de facto networking protocol. To date.

Even more so in our era of artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), big data and the cloud.

How "big" is Ethernet today? A few mind-boggling 1922 global market sizes:

• Carrier Ethernet equipment: USD 13.1 bill.

• Ethernet access devices: USD 12.6 bill.

• Industrial Ethernet equipment: USD 8.5 bill.

To which company do we originally owe this?

You'll find out at the end. For now, there's more.

WYSIWIG

A year later. 1974. Software developers at this company introduced Bravo. A program for editing documents. On their Alto workstations.

Before Bravo, users could not visualise what the page on their screen would actually look like. When printed. Because monitors were 72 pixels per inch (ppi). Whereas printers were 300 ppi.

But Bravo's special display showed text almost precisely the way it would appear in hard copy.

Which is why they named this feature WYSIWIG. "What you see is what you get". No surprises after printing!

Also prior to this, content writers could only mark their text up with tags. But Bravo enabled cut-and-paste bitmap editing.

Actually allowing users to delete, undo, redo and insert.

Change fonts. Indent paragraphs. Adjust margins.

Work on several files at a time.

Actions that we take for granted today.

Without Bravo, there would probably have been no Microsoft Word.

To which company do we originally owe this?

Wait until the end. Before that ...

GUI

1975. Another year later, computer scientists at this company developed the first-ever graphical user interface (GUI).

Users no longer had to type, debug and re-type text commands. Or know coding languages.

GUI represented files, folders, directories and applications visually. As icons on the screen. Users could just point and click. Drag and drop. With a mouse. And a cursor.

That's how operating systems became friendlier. And more usable. Than ever before.

That's how computers came into the mainstream. People started spending more time on their screens. Productively.

That's how you're reading this article today. On your favourite device.

To which company do we originally owe this?

Nah. Not IBM. Not Microsoft. Not Apple.

One company gave us all three game-changing innovations.

PARC. Palo Alto Research Center.

Part of Xerox. From 1970. When it was founded. To 2002. When it became an independent company.

In Apr 2023, PARC merged with SRI. Another iconic Silicon Valley institution. With a history of technological breakthroughs. And creative solutions, models and platforms. More about SRI in a future article.

These pioneers continue developing intellectual property. Licensing them to commercial ventures. And startups. Designing hardware and software. Building new industries in the process.

It's safe to say the future of fundamental R&D is safe. In their expert hands.

Did you know about PARC? Let us know. In the comments below.

Until next time. :)