Thacker and colleagues: Alto, a personal computer

What changed

Documented integrated Alto workstation hardware and interaction facilities.

Scientific scope

The record is the exact five-author 1979 technical report about a machine designed beginning in 1973. Other documented Alto contributors and the inventions of Ethernet, Smalltalk, laser printing and the graphical interface retain separate attribution.

Evidence

The linked sources identify this contribution and its scope. WRS has not independently reconstructed the scientific claims. The record is the exact five-author 1979 technical report about a machine designed beginning in 1973. Other documented Alto contributors and the inventions of Ethernet, Smalltalk, laser printing and the graphical interface retain separate attribution.

Contributors

• Charles P. Thacker · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.
• Edward M. McCreight · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.
• Butler W. Lampson · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.
• Robert F. Sproull · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.
• David R. Boggs · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.

• Alto technical report scan
• Computer History Museum Xerox Alto archive

Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-16.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.

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