42 Chapter 3 Computer Hardware
captured the visions of Bush, Engelbart, and Kay when they delivered the first commer-
cial multimedia computer. The Macintosh used an operating system with a graphical
interface that resembled a standard desktop complete with folders and a trashcan. It
relied on a mouse to manipulate data and programs. It included sound capabilities and
dramatically introduced itself at the January 1984 debut. From that day on, advances in
hardware technology supported the development of multimedia computing. Today’s
microcomputer is in every way a multimedia machine.
3.2 Computer Platforms
Computers have fundamental differences based on the hardware components, such as
processors, and the operating systems that ...