Douglas Engelbart quotes

Douglas Engelbart was an American engineer and inventor, renowned for his pioneering work in human-computer interaction. His most famous invention is the computer mouse, and he also contributed significantly to the development of interactive computing. He inspired generations of engineers and shaped modern computing technology. Here are 12 of his quotes:

The digital revolution is far more significant than the invention of writing or even of printing. (Douglas Engelbart)

The rate at which a person can mature is directly proportional to the embarrassment he can tolerate.

Douglas Engelbart

In 20 or 30 years, you'll be able to hold in your hand as much computing knowledge as exists now in the whole city, or even the whole world.

Douglas Engelbart

The better we get at getting better, the faster we will get better.

Douglas Engelbart

The key thing about all the world's big problems is that they have to be dealt with collectively. If we don't get collectively smarter, we're doomed.

Douglas Engelbart

Technology should not aim to replace humans, rather amplify human capabilities.

Douglas Engelbart

If ease of use was the only requirement, everybody would still be riding tricycles.

Douglas Engelbart

Human beings face ever more complex and urgent problems, and their effectiveness in dealing with these problems is a matter that is critical to the stability and continued progress of society.

Douglas Engelbart

Why waste time doing experiments in the organization with technologies that are going to be out of date in 5 years or 10 years?

Douglas Engelbart

There's a double pressure on the evolution of every organization: how you evolve to be more capable and effective, and efficient, but also how you stay in synch with the rest of the environment.

Douglas Engelbart

Any possibility for improving the effective utilization of the intellectual power of society's problem solvers warrants the most serious consideration. This is because man's problem-solving capability represents possibly the most important resource possessed by a society. The other contenders for first importance are all critically dependent for their development and use upon this resource. (Douglas Engelbart)

Payoff will come when we make better use of computers to bring communities of people together and to augment the very human skills that people bring to bear on difficult problems.

Douglas Engelbart

Douglas Engelbart

Douglas Engelbart - Image

Photo: Alex Handy from Oakland, Nmibia, CC BY-SA 2.0

Occupation: American Engineer
Born: January 30, 1925
Died: July 2, 2013
Quotes count: 12
Wikipedia: Douglas Engelbart

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