PARC scientists created the personal computer, graphical user interface, laser printer and a variety of other key product prototypes. Ironically, what Xerox and PARC are best known for is dropping the ball on most of these developments.
Some examples are part of the legend of computing.
I've never seen a Xerox laser printer. The book is full of important stories and personalities. However, rather than taking Xerox to task for what are now clearly seen as blunders, Hiltzik explores the question how an organization can fail to develop the products that grow out of its own research and development, especially ones that seem to have changed the world. While one answer is that hindsight is 20-20, he raises some important points that have some implications for law firms poised on the threshold of the Internet age. This subject intrigues me because lately I've run into some law firms that are uniquely positioned, with appropriate investments, to adopt Internet and technology approaches that I believe will make them important players in the new digital practice of law.