Alan Kay

Alan Kay (born 1940) is an American computer scientist and pioneer in the field of personal computing. He is known for his work on object-oriented programming, graphical user interfaces, and the development of the Smalltalk programming language. Kay's contributions have greatly influenced modern computing and user interface design.

Known for his work on the development of object-oriented programming and graphical user interfaces. Kay is particularly associated with his work at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), where he played a key role in the development of the Smalltalk programming language and the influential Dynabook concept, which envisioned a portable, interactive computer for educational purposes. Kay's ideas and research have greatly influenced the design of modern computing systems and user interfaces.

Alan Curtis Kay is an American computer scientist who pioneered work on object-oriented programming and windowing graphical user interface (GUI) design. At Xerox PARC he led the design and development of the first modern windowed computer desktop interface. There he also led the development of the influential object-oriented programming language Smalltalk, both personally designing most of the early versions of the language and coining the term "object-oriented." He has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Society of Arts. He received the Turing Award in 2003.

• At Xerox PARC he led the design and development of the first modern windowed computer desktop interface.