Under Construction
2026 / SUMMER EXHIBITION
GCFeatured Exhibition

GO Corporation
and the Vision of
Pen-Based Computing

GO Corporation's PenPoint, released in 1991, was the first operating system designed from the ground up for pen input rather than keyboard — pioneering gesture commands, embedded handwriting recognition, and a notebook metaphor that would echo through every stylus and touch system that followed.

GO Corporation and the Vision of Pen-Based Computing
Now on view
Permanent collection
Artifacts
Approx. 30,000
Catalogued
232
Timeline span
1987 — 2007
Recorded events
2001 milestones

Exhibitions
now on view.

One Special Exhibition Drawn directly from the museum's collection of artifacts, magazines, and primary documents.
GC Featured Exhibition
Under Construction GO Corporation and the Vision of Pen-Based Computing

GO Corporation and the Vision of Pen-Based Computing

GO Corporation's PenPoint, released in 1991, was the first operating system designed from the ground up for pen input rather than keyboard — pioneering gesture commands, embedded handwriting recognition, and a notebook metaphor that would echo through every stylus and touch system that followed.

Featured artifacts.

From the collection 18 objects selected at random, drawn from 232 in the permanent collection.
View all artifacts
Watcom International Corporation 1991

WATCOM C/386 User’s Guide for PenPoint
GO Corporation 1991

GO Corporation – The PenPoint Technical Papers
Creative Digital, Inc. 1995

Creative Digital Systems – PDA Developers East ’95 (Press Release)
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company 1992
GO Corporation - PenPoint Application Writing Guide (Cover)

GO Corporation – PenPoint Application Writing Guide
Stylus Publishing 1993
Pen-Based Computing: Volume 3, Number 4 (Cover)

Pen-Based Computing – August/September, 1993 – Volume 3, Number 4
Stylus Publishing 1993
Pen-Based Computing: Volume 3, Number 1 (Cover)

Pen-Based Computing – February, 1993 – Volume 3, Number 1
GO Corporation 1993

GO Corporation – Regis McKenna Clipping Alert (March 22, 1993)
Apple Computer, Inc. 1994
Apple Newton MessagePad 120 (Package) Temporary Image

Apple Newton MessagePad 120 Package
SOFTBANK America Inc. 1992

SOFT BANK PC\Japan Vol. 1, No. 1 April 1992 (Brochure)
GO Corporation 1992

GO Corporation PenPointers November 1992 (Newsletter)
Stylus Publishing 1992
Pen-Based Computing: Volume 2, Number 1 (Cover)

Pen-Based Computing – February, 1992 – Volume 2, Number 1
Volksware, Inc. 1994
Pen-Based Computing: Volume 4, Number 2 (Cover)

Pen-Based Computing – February/March, 1994 – Volume 4, Number 2
Olivetti Office USA, Inc. 1998

Royal daVinci Palm-Size PDA DV1
Palmtop Publications 2000
Palmtop Journal – Issue 27 (Cover)

Palmtop – Issue 27
EO, Incorporated 1993
EO, Inc. - Introducing the EO Personal Communicator Brochure (Front)

EO, Inc. – Introducing the EO Personal Communicator (Brochure)
Volksware, Inc. 1995
Pen-Based Computing: Volume 5, Number 3 (Cover)

Pen-Based Computing – March, 1995 – Volume 5, Number 3
Palm Computing, Inc. 1994

Palm Graffiti (for Zoomer) Package
GO Corporation 1992

GO Corporation Correspondence – PenPoint SDK 1.0a (May 29, 1992)

A chronology.

1987 — 2007 Selected from the museum's 2001 catalogued timeline events.
View full timeline
1991Hardware
Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing to be Offered with the NCR 3125
Microsoft Corp. and NCR Corp. announces that NCR will offer Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing on its new pen-based notepad, the NCR…
1993Hardware
Compaq Announces Fully Featured Notebook PC with a Keyboard and Pen
Compaq Computer Corporation announces a fully featured notebook PC offering interactive use of a keyboard and pen; Compaq’s first notebook to support…
1994Hardware
Sharp Offers Two Upgrades for PI-7000 Expert Pad PDA Users; PCMCIA Memory Cards Also Introduced
Two separate upgrades permit users of the Newton-based Expert Pad from Sharp Electronics Corporation to increase the performance of their units.
1999Software
IBM Expands DB2 Family to Extend Power of Enterprise to Mobile Workers
DB2 Everywhere for Windows CE and PalmOS operating systems positioned as a key part of IBM's pervasive computing strategy.
2003Organization
Survey: Physicians Using Handheld Computers Can Provide Better Care, Though Integration With the Enterprise Is Slow
Skyscape survey reports increasing PDA use can prevent more than $100 million in medical errors.
2004Organization
Survey: Psychiatrists Using Handheld Computers to Improve Quality of Patient Care
Skyscape survey finds key psychiatric reference use on PDAs helps reduce medical errors.
2007Hardware
Apple Reinvents the Phone With iPhone
Apple introduces iPhone, combining three products-a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with…

The collection.

Browse 232 artifacts Indexed by category from the collection.
    EM

    Ex Machina

    2 items →
    LE

    Lexicus

    4 items →
    DR

    Draft

    1 item →
    OU

    Olivetti Office USA

    1 item →
    HM

    Handheld Systems Magazine

    2 items →
    YI

    Young Ideas

    3 items →
    PE

    PenMagic

    8 items →
    TI

    Texas Instruments

    1 item →
    UD

    User Documentation

    12 items →
    KE

    Keyboard

    1 item →
    JO

    Journal

    44 items →
    CO

    3Com

    4 items →
    CI

    Communication Intelligence

    3 items →
    SW

    Software

    18 items →

    Pen-Based Computing,
    the newsletter.

    Eight volumes · Sixty five issues The original newsletter — every issue digitized in full (soon).
    View all issues
    Pen-Based Computing – January, 1996 – Volume 6, Number 1

    Volume 6 · Issue 01 Pen-Based Computing – January, 1996 – Volume 6, Number 1

    16 pp
    Pen-Based Computing – November 11, 1991 – Volume 1, Number 6

    Volume 1 · Issue 06 Pen-Based Computing – November 11, 1991 – Volume 1, Number 6

    16 pp
    Pen-Based Computing – October/November, 1993 – Volume 3, Number 5

    Volume 3 · Issue 05 Pen-Based Computing – October/November, 1993 – Volume 3, Number 5

    16 pp
    04 · Donate

    Donate an
    artifact.

    The museum collects hardware, software, manuals, photographs, marketing collateral, oral histories, and ephemera related to the early history of stylus-based computing.

    Learn how to donate →
    05 · Subscribe Coming Soon

    PBCHM
    Monthly.

    Learn about new acquisitions, recovered manuals, oral histories, and unearthed discoveries.

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