Misquoted

USA Today's Kevin Maney has an interesting piece today about some well known and oft-repeated technology quotes that he says simply aren't true. Among those for which he finds no evidence or outright counter-information, are:

• "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." -- Thomas Watson, founder of IBM.
• "Everything that can be invented has been invented." -- Charles Duell, U.S. Patent Commissioner, 1899.
• "Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" -- Harry Warner, Warner Bros., as movies with sound made their debut in 1927.
• "640K ought to be enough for anybody." -- Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder, 1981.

There is one well-known quote which turns out to be true: "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." — Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment, in 1977. Now, next time you see one of these quotes, probably on somebody's PowerPoint presentation, you can call'em on it!

http://archives.trblogs.com/2005/07/not_what_you_th.trml http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kevinmaney/2005-07-05-famous-quotes_x.htm