School of Information Science - Hall of Fame

Douglas Englebart
  • Douglas Englebart
  • Born: January 30, 1925
  • Field: Computer science; information science
  • Focus: Invented the computer mouse and hypertext media. Conducted research in organizational effectiveness and enabling technology.
  • Country: United States
  • Era: 1950 to 1969

Douglas Englebart's most famous invention is the computer mouse. Englebart was greatly influenced by Vannevar Bush's "As We may Think. He was also under the belief that machines could aid human cognition. Englebart formed the Augmentation Research Center in 1963. At this center is where the mouse was first developed in order to facilitate computer interaction. Another development at the research center was the first successful implementation of hypertext through the NLS (oNLine System), which was an elaborate hypermedia groupware system. This system facilitated the creation of digital libraries and storage and retrieval of electronic documents using hypertext.

NLS also developed a new graphical user interfaces implementing a windowing environment and allowed the user to send email to other users. It also offered on-screen video teleconferencing. Englebart founded the Bootstrap Institute in 1989. The goal of the institute is to boost individual and organizational ability to better address problems that are complex and urgent. It fosters high performance organizations by developing enabling technologies and promoting collaboration.

Related Links

www.nttmcl.com/html/engelbart.html

www.bootstrap.org/chronicle/chronicle.html

Bibliography

www.iath.virginia.edu/elab

www.bootstrap.org

www.ibiblio.org/pioneers/englebart.html