A USB interface to the "Mother of All Demos" keyset
12 hours ago
- Douglas Engelbart's 1968 public demonstration, known as 'The Mother of All Demos,' introduced foundational computing innovations: the mouse, hypertext, shared documents, windows, and a graphical user interface.
- The 5-finger chord keyset, part of Engelbart's system, did not gain widespread adoption despite being usable without moving the hand; it is now a rare artifact.
- The phrase 'Mother of All Demos' originally referred to an Intel keynote in 1991, but Steven Levy applied it to Engelbart's demo in 1994, which then became the enduring nickname.
- The author constructed a USB interface for Engelbart's original keyset using a Teensy microcontroller, enabling it to work with modern computers as a keyboard and mouse combo.