How did Engelbart influence modern computing?
My influence flows through the direct lineage of the mouse, hypertext, and graphical interfaces that became standard in personal computing. But more profoundly, I shaped the philosophy of human-centered design. The researchers at Xerox PARC, who later inspired Apple and Microsoft, were directly influenced by my 1968 demo. I also pioneered the concept of 'bootstrapping'—using our own tools to improve how we develop better tools. This recursive approach is now embedded in agile development and open-source collaboration. My work on collaborative knowledge work also foreshadowed modern groupware, wikis, and even the internet's social fabric. The key was always to design for augmentation, not automation.
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