Inventor of the Modern Day Laptop Passed Away On Saturday.

Biggins

William Moggridge, Designer and Laptop Pioneer, Dies at 69

We might have just taken the laptop as just a progression of the everyday PC but the creator of the first fully usable laptop passed away last Saturday.

Just after he had presciently opened a product design business in Silicon Valley in 1979, William Moggridge was hired by a start-up firm, Grid Systems, to design a new type of computer — one that could fit into a briefcase.

Mr. Moggridge’s ingenious solution was a clamshell case, roughly 15 by 12 inches, which popped open to reveal a luminous screen on top that folded over the keyboard on bottom. The Compass, as this groundbreaking laptop was called, went on sale for about Although the price was too high for the average consumer, the Compass was popular with the military and made trips aboard the space shuttle starting in 1983.

Mr. Moggridge, who died on Saturday at 69, was not only the designer of that first laptop; he is also widely viewed as a father of the field of interaction design, a discipline that focuses on improving the human experience of digital products.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/technology/william-moggridge-laptop-pioneer-dies-at-69.html?_r=1

Credit where its due, millions - if not billions(?) - have used his ground-breaking innovation in the I.T. world.
His passing should not go so un-noted.

Cheers Mr Moggridge.
RIP.

karl_m

Thanks to him, I am able to satisfy so many aspects of my life. RIP

ChunkyLover54

I'm typing on and looking at part of Moggridge's legacy right now.

Wow

marshbaboon

Thank you William for enabling me to watch youtube on the toilet, and access proper pornography when in hotel rooms.

Goodnight sweet prince.

NegativeCreep

I invented post-its.

Biggins

Think about it, his creativity helped the world to gain access from a bar, from a cafe table, from a mountain top, etc... any information possible we wish to seek, anywhere in the world.
Thats a good legacy to leave behind.

We all should be so lucky to do similar in our wake.

NegativeCreep

Biggins wrote: »

Think about it, his creativity helped the world to gain access from bar, from a cafe table, from a mountain top, etc... any information possible we wish to seek, anywhere in the world.
Thats a good legacy to leave behind.

We all should be so lucky to do similar in our wake.

In fairness it's not that amazing. The laptop is a natural progression from a desktop in my opinion. If it wasn't him, it'd be someone else.

Washington Irving

At least he died at the ultimate age

RIP

marshbaboon

NegativeCreep wrote: »

In fairness it's not that amazing. The laptop is a natural progression from a desktop in my opinion. If it wasn't him, it'd be someone else.

No. It's not. At the time when he came up with the idea, it would basically have been considered witchcraft.

That's like claiming Galileo was nothing special because we would have figured out the universe doesn't revolve around the Earth anyway...

NegativeCreep

marshbaboon wrote: »

No. It's not. At the time when he came up with the idea, it would basically have been considered witchcraft.

That's like claiming Galileo was nothing special because we would have figured out the universe doesn't revolve around the Earth anyway...

You're probably right. I'm just not in awe of the guy and it doesn't bother me that he's dead tbh. I'm an ungrateful cnut though :pac:

marshbaboon

NegativeCreep wrote: »

You're probably right. I'm just not in awe of the guy and it doesn't bother me that he's dead tbh. I'm an ungrateful cnut though :pac:

I didn't know who the hell he was before I saw this thread :pac:

mauzo

I'm the only adult I know that doesn't have a laptop. Besides my nanna lol

NegativeCreep

mauzo wrote: »

I'm the only adult I know that doesn't have a laptop. Besides my nanna lol

Oh my God do you use a desktop all day? :eek:

marshbaboon

mauzo wrote: »

I'm the only adult I know that doesn't have a laptop. Besides my nanna lol

I gave mine away years ago. Only bought it so I could play world of warcraft in work, and watch movies on the 6 hour trip to visit my other half.

dodderangler

Don't use a laptop
Use me phone
Let me know when inventor of iPhone dies!




In fairness RIP to him

mauzo

NegativeCreep wrote: »

mauzo wrote: »

I'm the only adult I know that doesn't have a laptop. Besides my nanna lol

Oh my God do you use a desktop all day? :eek:

Yeah, big old slow thing that takes up a whole corner.

I'll get one after my birthday I think.

NegativeCreep

mauzo wrote: »

Yeah, big old slow thing that takes up a whole corner.

I'll get one after my birthday I think.

jaysus fair play to ya. I'd have left the internet a long time ago if I couldn't be lazy with the laptop :L

Biggins

dodderangler wrote: »

...Let me know when inventor of iPhone dies!

I'm sure it will be someone at Samsung.

CrazyRabbit

Thanks for inventing a device that allows me to go to work without leaving my bed.

Mickey H

Biggins wrote: »

I'm sure it will be someone at Samsung.

Good one Biggins!

entropi

Typing this from my laptop, a poignant and fitting tribute in itself.

1ZRed

marshbaboon wrote: »

Thank you William for enabling me to watch youtube on the toilet, and access proper pornography when in hotel rooms.

Goodnight sweet prince.

Laptop, meet Tablet.

If you're anything like me, you'll be putting the extra portability to good use! :pac:

Biggins

Mickey H wrote: »

Good one Biggins!

:pac:

humanji

That laptop looks awesome. It's like something from an 80's sci-fi movie.

pickarooney

I never liked laptops.

paddyandy

The Hinges have never weakened and i'm puzzled and impressed there's no greasing either .How is it done ?

mconigol

Apple could learn a thing or two.

We all get to use this classic design. Apple stop people using rounded rectangles shapes for phones :rolleyes:

ejmaztec

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

Thanks for inventing a device that allows me to go to work without leaving my bed.

Before laptops came along, there was probably only one other way of doing that, and I don't mean being a test-pilot for Slumberland.

Faolchu

Biggins wrote: »

I'm sure it will be someone at Samsung.

shhhh apple might try sue the family estate

Overheal

Biggins wrote: »

William Moggridge, Designer and Laptop Pioneer, Dies at 69

We might have just taken the laptop as just a progression of the everyday PC but the creator of the first fully usable laptop passed away last Saturday.



http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/technology/william-moggridge-laptop-pioneer-dies-at-69.html?_r=1

Credit where its due, millions - if not billions(?) - have used his ground-breaking innovation in the I.T. world.
His passing should not go so un-noted.

Cheers Mr Moggridge.
RIP.

YOU LIE. Steve Jobs invented everything!

Iwannahurl

I hope he didn't die by having an original (5kg) GRiD Compass fall on him or something.

norrie rugger

Biggins wrote: »

William Moggridge, Designer and Laptop Pioneer, Dies at 69

We might have just taken the laptop as just a progression of the everyday PC but the creator of the first fully usable laptop passed away last Saturday.



http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/technology/william-moggridge-laptop-pioneer-dies-at-69.html?_r=1

Credit where its due, millions - if not billions(?) - have used his ground-breaking innovation in the I.T. world.
His passing should not go so un-noted.

Cheers Mr Moggridge.
RIP.

He did not wear a black turtle neck sweater or design (control) shiny/overpriced equipment. Of course his passing will go pretty much un-noticed