tapoxion Hacker News • Recommends
On “The Telescript Programming Language”
For anyone else amazed by General Magic, the recently released documentary is available for free (legally) on YouTube: link to this video
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#generalmagic#tonyfadell#andyhertzfeld
General Magic (1080p) FULL DOCUMENTARY - History, Technology, Business
Gravitas Documentaries
226K subscribers • 1 video on Hallway
- Recommended by 3 people: 3 on Hacker News.
Beginner. No background in the topic needed.
73K views4 years ago3 recommendations
History and cultureCareers and interviewsHistory of computingStartupsInside tech companies
This documentary tells the story of General Magic, the 1989 startup that envisioned the smartphone and handheld connected devices before their time.
From the first smartphones to social media, eBay to emojis, the ideas that dominate our lives were born at a 1989 tech startup you’ve never heard of. ‘General Magic’ is a tale of how a great vision and an epic failure changed the world. #fullmovie #freemovie #gravitasfilms Directed by: Sarah Kerruish, Matt Maude Starring: Tony Fadell Andy Hertzfeld Marc Porat 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 WANT TO SEE MORE MOVIES LIKE THIS FOR FREE here on YouTube? Please visit our other channels! Gravitas Ventures: youtube.com/user/GravitasVOD Documentaries: youtube.com/channel/UC1V-EnUA8Cly59HyvVKZy5A Action/Thriller/Horror: youtube.com/channel/UCSsOVkM9QpHx1R0stMhkgXA Sci-Fi/Paranormal: youtube.com/channel/UClVpOBVSHJ73a9dXczYdItA #GravitasFilms #HDFilms / Full length FREE MOVIES Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/GravitasVOD Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/gravitasventures/ Check us out on FaceBook: facebook.com/GravitasVentures Learn more about Gravitas Ventures by visiting our website: gravitasventures.com/ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿 🎥 🎞️ 🍿Why it's here
3 people recommend this, 1 disputes itWhat people say. Recommended as a fascinating and cautionary documentary about the history of General Magic and the birth of the smartphone.
gavmoron Hacker News • Recommends
On “Bill Atkinson has died”
If you haven't, check out the documentary0 on General Magic which Bill co-founded in 1990. Among the more remarkable scenes in there is when a member of the public seems perplexed by the thought that they would even want to "check email from Times Square." An unthinkable future, but they thought it. And yet, most folks have never heard of General Magic. 0. link to this video
JKCalhounon Hacker News • Recommends
On “Bill Atkinson has died”
Plenty of interviews will Bill on YouTube. Example: link Also, perhaps the General Magic documentary is a fun watch too: link to this video
AlbertCoryon Hacker News • Disputes
On “50 Years Later, We’re Still Living in the Xerox Alto’s World”
Well, the Macintosh team certainly thought they were. There's a YT video about General Magic that tries to paint them that way, and they thought of themselves that way at the time. link to this video Take it all with a grain of salt.
JKCalhounon Hacker News • Mentions
On “Bill Atkinson has died”
Atkinson at this timestamp: link to this video Also, it's here in the documentary that someone expresses the excitement anticipating the smart phone. It's hard to watch for me now and not shake my head, "Oh, it's not quite as wonderful as you imagined."
wmfon Hacker News • Mentions
On “We almost had a smartphone in the 90s. Why did it fail?”
This headline isn't great. It's an interview with Tony Fadell who invented the iPod, iPhone, and Nest thermostat. Before the iPod, Fadell worked at failed PDA maker General Magic. The interview doesn't get into other 90s attempts like the IBM Simon, Palm Pilot, or Apple Newton. There's also a documentary about General Magic: link to this video