Switcher is an early cooperative multitasking system written by Andy Hertzfeld that is the direct predecessor to Apple Computer's MultiFinder for classic Mac OS.
History[]
Hertzfeld was inspired to develop Switcher after observing technology writer John Markoff use Memory/Shift on his IBM PC. Former colleague Bud Tribble suggested the addition of a scrolling screen to visually indicate the application switch to the user (a technique now used by Spaces).[1]
Bill Gates expressed interested in Switcher, but Hertzfeld declined a lowball offer of $40,000 for it. Mac evangelist Guy Kawasaki arranged for Hertzfeld to demo it to Steve Jobs, who had Apple acquire it for $100,000 plus 10% of standalone sales of the product. Switcher was released in April 1985 and generated an additional $50,000 in royalties for Hertzfeld.[1]
Hertzfeld handed off maintenance of Switcher to Phil Goldman, who eventually co-wrote MultiFinder. Hertzfeld also began work on Servant, which introduced memory allocation and simultaneous display of foreground and background applications, concepts that would appear in MultiFinder in 1987.[1][2]
References[]
External links[]
- Switcher Construction Kit at The Mac 512
- Switcher Construction Kit at RetroMacCast (2008-08-09)