Michael Hiltzik tells the story of the Xerox scientists and engineers who established the company’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), where many of the fundamental innovations underlying computer networking, graphics, and Internet were invented. Xerox could have been on the leading edge of the 1990’s tech boom, if only it hadn’t been so vested in the paper-based office.
Strangely, this book was not in our local library, but they were able to obtain it for me through inter-library loan. It was well worth the effort.
Read a review from the NY Times, and a 2010 article by the author about PARC’s 40th anniversary.