Thank You, Early Software Designer from 42,000 Years Ago
I was inspired to read that what we do today as a software company can be traced back 42,000 years to a bone in a South African cave. I realized this after reading The Wall St. Journal’s review of ‘Empire of the Sum,’ a book about pocket calculators.
Here’s the lineage: We’re in the software business, which is a relative of the computer business, which is a relative of the pocket calculator business (just ask Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, who designed pocket calculators before starting Apple). Pocket calculators are an advanced tally stick—the oldest of which dates back 42,000 years to a South African cave. This ‘early software’ was made from a baboon fibula, and is known as the Lebombo Bone.
In general, we help store owners count money, products, and gift registries. If this were 42,000 years ago, we’d be doing it on bones.