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Charles P. Thacker
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Charles P. Thacker

Engineer who designed the Xerox Alto, the first modern personal computer

26 February 1943 – 12 June 2017 United States Verified by our editors
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Lived
74 yrs
1943 – 2017
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2
Computer, Hardware
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Chuck Thacker was an American engineer who designed the hardware of the Xerox Alto in 1973, the first computer with a graphical interface and a mouse in everyday use. He co-invented Ethernet and later led the Tablet PC prototype at Microsoft. He received the Turing Award in 2009.

Biography

Background

Thacker studied physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and joined the Berkeley Computer Corporation before moving to Xerox PARC in 1970.

The Alto

In 1972–73 he designed the Alto in about three months. It had a bitmapped display, a mouse, a keyboard and a network connection, and ran windows-based software developed by colleagues. Around 2,000 were built for research use, and the Alto inspired the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows.

Ethernet and more

He co-invented Ethernet with Bob Metcalfe and others and worked on the Dorado workstation and laser printing. At DEC’s Systems Research Center he designed the Firefly multiprocessor workstation.

Microsoft

In 1997 he helped found Microsoft Research Cambridge and later led the team that built the prototype Tablet PC. He received the Turing Award in 2009 and died in 2017.

Timeline

  1. 1943

    Born in Pasadena, California, United States

  2. 1970

    Joins Xerox PARC

  3. 1973

    Alto completed

  4. 1975

    Ethernet patent with Metcalfe and others

  5. 1983

    Joins DEC Systems Research Center

  6. 1997

    Joins Microsoft Research

  7. 2004

    Draper Prize

  8. 2009

    Turing Award

  9. 2017

    Died, aged 74

Notable works

  • 1973

    Xerox Alto Computer

  • 2001

    Tablet PC prototype Hardware

Awards and honours

  • Charles Stark Draper Prize

    2004

  • IEEE John von Neumann Medal

    2007

  • Turing Award

    2009

Did you know?

  1. 1

    He designed the Alto partly to win a bet about how quickly it could be built.

  2. 2

    Steve Jobs saw the Alto during his 1979 visit to PARC.

  3. 3

    He was one of four engineers who shared the 2004 Draper Prize for the first networked personal computers.

Connections

Related people

Frequently asked

Who is Charles P. Thacker?

Chuck Thacker was an American engineer who designed the hardware of the Xerox Alto in 1973, the first computer with a graphical interface and a mouse in everyday use. He co-invented Ethernet and later led the Tablet PC prototype at Microsoft. He received the Turing Award in 2009.

When did Charles P. Thacker die?

Charles P. Thacker died on 12 June 2017 at the age of 74.

Where is Charles P. Thacker from?

Charles P. Thacker was born in Pasadena, California, United States.

What is Charles P. Thacker known for?

Charles P. Thacker is best known for Xerox Alto; co-inventing Ethernet; Tablet PC at Microsoft; Turing Award 2009.

What awards has Charles P. Thacker received?

Notable honours include Charles Stark Draper Prize (2004), IEEE John von Neumann Medal (2007), Turing Award (2009).

References

  1. Charles P. Thacker — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  2. Charles P. Thacker — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  3. Charles P. Thacker (Q92828) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.

Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Charles P. Thacker”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more

External links

Wikipedia
Filed under EthernetPersonal computerTuring AwardXerox PARC Computer ScientistEngineer

About this profile

Cite this page

“Charles P. Thacker.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/charles-thacker

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