Jason Kottke and Adi Robertson Wax Poetic over the Apple Lisa

https://kottke.org/23/04/the-lisa-personal-computer-apples-influential-flop

by dingosity • 3 years ago

2 2 3 years ago

dingosity• 3 years ago

There are SO many things that are just not quite right in Adi's video, but it's 90% there and a very decent precis of a machine most people have never heard of.

I take umbrage with the idea that the Lisa was confused about the "Application" metaphor when it really was sort of before Apps were a thing (unless you count Word Star and VisiCalc.) Eschewing the app as the central focus of user engagement is, IMHO, still something worth trying a few more times. But it's clear that it's harder than it looks.

When you watch that video, please remember the Lisa team wasn't competing against the IBM PC or the Apple Macintosh (heck, the Mac hadn't been released yet!) They were competing against the Xerox Star. The Lisa gives you about 50% of the Star's capability at about 12% the cost.

retrocryptid• 3 years ago

Pish! The video is perfectly fine.

Jason Kottke and Adi Robertson Wax Poetic over the Apple Lisa

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