1993年8月,当Apple公司推出其个人数字助理(PDA)Newton MessagePad时,曾在市场掀起一阵热浪。尽管此后Newton的销售状况一直差强人意,Apple也不断调整其Newton策略,但是各家公司PDA的先后出现,使人们看到一种新型信息处理工具正浮出海面,计算机已经被人们拿在手上、装进了口袋。PDA与一般PC相比有许多不同,其中一点是PDA把笔作为唯一的输入工具。其实把笔(当然不是一般的在纸上书写的笔)作为计算机的输入工具并不新鲜,基于笔的计算机(笔式计算机)已有26年的历史了。简单地定义,所谓笔式计算机就是能够利用笔进行文字、数字甚至图形等信息输入的计算机,它具有不同于一般PC的操作系统和应用软件。自从GRID系统公司(如今是AST公司的一部分)推出第一款笔系统GRiD-Pad和PenRight !DOS开发工具,市场已经消化了差不 In August 1993, when Apple Inc. introduced its Newton MessagePad PDA, it had set off a heat wave in the market. Although Newton’s sales have been unsatisfactory since then, Apple has also constantly adjusted its Newton strategy, but the PDA has appeared in various companies, so that people see a new type of information processing tools are emerging, the computer has been in the hands of people, Into the pocket. There are many differences between PDA and general PC, one of which is the PDA pen as the only input tool. In fact, it is not new to use a pen (certainly not a pen on paper) as an input tool for computers. Pen-based computers (pen computers) have been around for 26 years. Simply defined, the so-called pen-based computer is able to use the pen for text, numbers and even graphics and other information input computer, which has different from the general PC operating system and application software. Since the introduction of the first pen-based GRiD-Pad and PenRight! DOS development tools by GRID Systems (now part of AST), the market has digested the difference