The Computer That Invented Modern Computing

Before Apple or Microsoft, the 1981 Xerox Star introduced the world to the mouse, icons, folders, and windows. It was the first commercial machine to prove that a desktop could function like a virtual office.

While these features seem universal today, they were revolutionary concepts at the time. The Xerox Star combined a bitmapped display with networked file servers, laying the blueprint for almost every computer sold since. Its design was so ahead of its era that it effectively established the modern graphical user interface. Many industry leaders famously drew inspiration from this machine when developing their own early home computers.