Goldman was 90 years old and died of congestive heart failure, according to news reports.
A physicist by training, Goldman was Xerox's chief scientist in the late 1960s when he convinced the company to start a laboratory dedicated purely to scientific research. The Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) was then founded in 1970 and went on to originate landmark technological breakthroughs including the first personal computer, object-oriented programming, the graphical user interface, the Ethernet network, laser printing, and the first commercial mouse (see photo).
Located near Stanford University and across the country from Xerox's corporate headquarters, the research center allowed scientists the freedom to develop ground-breaking ideas and discoveries in a research setting unfettered by business considerations. Goldman's vision of an impending new era in the technology world was key to fostering the center's culture of experimentation and progress.
"He was the one that made sure that Xerox understood that there was a revolution coming behind them that might change their business," Michael Hiltzik, author of the book Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age, told The New York Times.
But Xerox was unable to translate most of the PARC scientists' work into products marketed to consumers and businesses.
In his biography of Steve Jobs, author Walter Isaacson recounts how the Apple co-founder marveled at PARC technology during a visit to the center in 1979. Jobs was blown away by the graphical interface, reportedly shouting, "You're sitting on a gold mine. I can't believe Xerox is not taking advantage of this." The interface would become a key component of Apple's Lisa and Macintosh products.
Goldman would later rue Xerox's inability to capitalize on PARC breakthroughs and foresight.
"A big company will not make the investment to bring out a new product unless they see it makes a big difference," he told The New Haven Advocate in 1988. "Look at the personal computer industry today. It's a multibillion-dollar industry today. And we at Xerox could have had that industry to ourselves."