Highlights of the 1968 "Mother of All Demos"

Engelbart and the Dawn of Interactive Computing - SRI's Revolutionary 1968 Demo On December 9, 1968, Doug Engelbart and his Augmentation Research Center (ARC) at SRI staged a 90-minute public multimedia demonstration which presaged many of the technologies we use today – from personal computing to social networking. This was the world debut of the computer mouse, used to demonstrate an interconnected organizational computing system with integrated hypertext linking, collaborative composing, multiple windows with flexible view control, knowledge navigation, teleconferencing, and more. The integration of these tools into an experimental team's new modes of working on an evolving basis would boost team effectiveness to higher and higher levels. Research results included this "Augmentation System" and a set of guiding principles for others in this arena. Visit Doug's Great Demo: 1968 at theDemo.org for more links and fun facts.

Click an image below to watch selected demo highlights
or watch as a YouTube playlist (24 min total)

1. Introduction (38 sec)

2. The Basics (6 min 24 sec)

3. Goals of the Program (39 sec)

4. Strategic Approach (1 min 30 sec)

5. NLS as Instrument (2 min 25 sec)

6. The Devices (1 min 41 sec)

7. The Hardware (1 min 57 sec)

8. Software Development (3 min 43 sec)

9. Usage Example (1 min 29 sec)

10. Real-Time Collaboration (2 min 58 sec)

11. Future Activities (1 min 24 sec)

12. The Team (Thank-Yous) (2 min 2 sec)

Visit theDemo.org for more links and fun facts.

All video footage of the demo courtesy SRI International and Stanford Libraries Special Collections.