Xerox 8010 Star Information System
date: label: date made
content: ca 1977
name: label: maker
content: Xerox Corporation
notes: label: Description
content: Xerox Corporation began development of the Xerox 8010 Star Information System in 1977, using concepts from their Alto computer (a research computer completed in 1973 but never commercially available). First marketed in 1981, the hardware consisted of a processor, a two-page-wide bit-mapped display (making it possible to display graphics), a keyboard, and a two-button cursor control device called a "mouse." The introductory price was $16,595 for a single workstation which included the basic software.
label: Description
content: With the 8010 Star Information System, Xerox envisioned a workplace where technology would allow the creation of complex document formats; simplify the integration of charts, graphs, and mathematical equations; and make the data immediately accessible using ethernet local area communications networks.
label: Description
content: The Xerox 8010 Star had a number of "firsts" associated with it --
label: Description
content: -first system to include a mouse,
label: Description
content: -first employ a graphical user interface where the user navigated by clicking icons rather than typing commands, and
label: Description
content: -first to incorporate folders, file servers, and email.
label: Description
content: This personal workstation was designed for offices and business professionals who created, interpreted, managed, and distributed information. The systems development team sought to make the electronic world seem more familiar and user friendly thereby requiring less training. The user interface depicted functional areas of the office by creating electronic pictorial representations (icons) of the objects in an office: documents, folders, file cabinets, mail boxes, calculators, etc. Developers designed the user interface before the software was written or the hardware was built. The pointing device called a "mouse" eliminated the need for skilled keyboard commands. The commercial release of the mouse and the graphical user interface is often associated with the Apple "Lisa" computer which was introduced two years after the Xerox 8010.
label: Description
content: The Xerox 8010 was a remarkable piece of technology for its time. Despite this, the majority of users did not understand its full potential. Over time, every one of Xerox's innovative ideas became a core part everyday computing. In August 2006, PC World rated the Xerox 8010 Information System #3 on their list of the 25 greatest PCs of all time.
label: Description
content: The specifications for the Xerox 8010 were:
label: Description
content: - custom processor based on the AMD 2900 bit-sliced microcode programmable microprocessor
label: Description
content: - 384 KB (expandable to 1.5MB) of real memory
label: Description
content: - 10, 29 or 40 MB hard drive
label: Description
content: - 8-inch floppy drive
label: Description
content: - 17-inch display with a display resolution of 1024x808 monochrome
label: Description
content: - 2-button mouse
label: Description
content: - ethernet networking
label: Description
content: - "Pilot" operating system
label: Description
content: - "Star" desktop software
label: Description
content: Optional software included:
label: Description
content: - Advance Graphics
label: Description
content: - Equations
label: Description
content: - Record Processing
label: Description
content: - Communications
label: Description
content: Portions of the Xerox Star in the Smithsonian collections are numbered 1989.0432.02.1 (processor and cable), 1989.0432.01.2 (keyboard and mouse) and 1989.0432.01.3 (monitor).
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: "Spring ′81 Is a Season for Hardware," <i>InfoWorld</i>, June 8, 1981, pages 1 & 39.
label: Description
content: "News, " <i>InfoWorld</i>, Mar 4, 1985, page 21.
label: Description
content: "Xerox Tries Maclike ′Star′," <i>InfoWorld</i>, May 20, 1985, page 19
label: Description
content: "Industry Innovations: the best and the brightest, " <i>InfoWorld</i>, Oct 26, 1998, page 14.
label: Description
content: "The 25 Greatest PCs of All Time, The Complete List," <i>PC World</i>, August 11, 2006, page 14.
label: Description
content: (Last accessed 10-24-2018)
label: Description
content: http://toastytech.com/guis/star.html
label: Description
content: https://www.poynter.org/news/today-media-history-big-computer-story-1981-was-about-little-mouse
label: Description
content: https://connect.blogs.xerox.com/2016/04/28/the-first-pc-and-its-human-computer-interface/
label: Description
content: https://tech-insider.org/star/research/1981/0427.html
label: Description
content: http://time.com/3831359/computer-mouse-history/
label: Description
content: https://guidebookgallery.org/articles/thestaruserinterfaceanoverview
label: Description
content: https://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1099&context=chtlj
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: California, Palo Alto
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Computers
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Xerox Corporation, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1989.0432.02.1
label: catalog number
content: 1989.0432.02.1
label: accession number
content: 1989.0432
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Computer Processor
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: average spatial: 25 in x 12 in x 25 1/2 in; 63.5 cm x 30.50032 cm x 64.80048 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 57 in x 31 in x 39 in; 144.78 cm x 78.74 cm x 99.06 cm