GUI Windows
Atif Nagi, Aug 01, 2015 Essay 03: Digital Revolution: (Artifact) Graphical User Interface Professor David Edwin Meyers IXDS5503 Media History and Theory Master of Arts Degree in Interactive Design Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia, Kentucky
Mac OS
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A graphical user interface or GUI is a type of interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notation, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation. GUIs were introduced in reaction to the perceived steep learning curve of command-line interfaces (CLIs), which require commands to be typed on the keyboard. The actions in a GUI are usually performed through direct manipulation of the graphical elements. In addition to computers, GUIs can be found in hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players, gaming devices and smaller household, office and industry equipment. The term “GUI� tends not to be applied to other low-resolution types of interfaces with display resolutions, such as video games (where HUD is preferred), or not restricted to flat screens, like volumetric displays because the term is restricted to the scope of two-dimensional display screens able to describe generic information, in the tradition of the computer science research at the PARC (Palo Alto Research Center).
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KEY PERSONS
IN GUI HISTORY
Ada Countess of Lovelace 4
ADA COUNTESS OF LOVELACE Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852) was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage’s early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. Her notes on the engine include what is recognised as the first algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine. Because of this, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer. Ada described her approach as “poetical science” and herself as an “Analyst (& Metaphysician)”. As a young adult, her mathematical talents led her to an ongoing working relationship and friendship with fellow British mathematician Charles Babbage, and in particular Babbage’s work on the Analytical Engine. Between 1842 and 1843, she translated an article by Italian
military engineer Luigi Menabrea on the engine,
She wrote: [The Analytical Engine] might act
which she supplemented with an elaborate set
upon other things besides number, were objects
of notes of her own, simply called Notes. These
found whose mutual fundamental relations
notes contain what many consider to be the
could be expressed by those of the abstract
first computer program—that is, an algorithm
science of operations, and which should be
designed to be carried out by a machine.
also susceptible of adaptations to the action of
Lovelace’s notes are important in the early history
the operating notation and mechanism of the
of computers. She also developed a vision of
engine...
the capability of computers to go beyond mere calculating or number-crunching, while others,
Supposing, for instance, that the fundamental
including Babbage himself, focused only on
relations of pitched sounds in the science of
those capabilities. Her mind-set of “poetical
harmony and of musical composition were
science” led her to ask questions about the
susceptible of such expression and adaptations,
Analytical Engine examining how individuals and
the engine might compose elaborate and
society relate to technology as a collaborative
scientific pieces of music of any degree of
tool.
complexity or extent.
In
her
notes,
Lovelace
emphasized
the
This analysis was a conceptual leap from previous
difference between the Analytical Engine and
ideas about the capabilities of computing
previous calculating machines, particularly its
devices, and anticipated the capabilities and
ability to be programmed to solve problems of
implications of modern computing and GUI one
any complexity. She realised the potential of
hundred years before they were realized.
the device extended far beyond mere number crunching. 5
Douglas Engelbart 6
DOUGLAS ENGELBART Douglas Carl Engelbart (January 30, 1925 – July 2, 2013) was an American engineer and inventor, and an early computer and Internet pioneer. He is best known for his work on founding the field of human–computer interaction, particularly while at his Augmentation Research Center Lab in SRI International, resulting in the invention of the computer mouse, and the development of
hypertext,
networked
computers,
and
precursors to graphical user interfaces. These were demonstrated at The Mother of All Demos in 1968. Engelbart’s Law, the observation that the intrinsic rate of human performance is
BOOM—that complexity was the fundamental thing,” he recalled. “And it just went click. If in some way, you could contribute significantly to the way humans could handle complexity and urgency, that would be universally helpful.” Such an endeavor would address not just one of the world’s problems; it would give people
and more. “Then one day, it just dawned on me—
into Vannevar Bush’s vision that someday people would have their own terminals, which they could use to manipulate, store, and share
with one: augmented intelligence.
was along the lines that Vannevar Bush had proposed, Engelbart decided. As he tried to imagine conveying information on graphic screens in real time, his radar training in Navy came in handy. “It was within an hour that I had the image of sitting at a big screen with all
computer.” That day he set out on a mission to
probabilities, share information, organize people,
not yet publicly available. But Engelbart bought
The best way to help people handle complexity
Engelebart was looking for new venture
of the intricate ramifications of an action, weigh
commercial computers, such as UNIVAC, were
information. This expansive conception needed
kinds of symbols,” he recalled, “and you could
at any ambitious project, you had to assess all
and Steve Jobs were born. Even the very first
the tools to take on any problem.”
exponential, is named after him.
direction to solve people problem. “To succeed
This was in 1950, five years before Bill Gates
be operating all kinds of things to drive the find ways to allow people to visually portray the thinking they were doing and link them to other people so they could collaborate—in other words, networked interactive computers with
a suitably grand name, and Engelbart came up
Seventeen years after Bush had written “As We May Think,” there was still a radical feel to his concept that humans and computers should interact in real time through simple interfaces that included graphical screens, pointers, and input devices. Engelbart emphasized that his system wouldn’t be just for math: “Every person who does his thinking with symbolized concepts (whether in the form of the English language, pictographs, formal logic, or mathematics) should be able to benefit significantly.” Ada Lovelace would have been thrilled.
graphic displays. 7
Ivan Sutherland 8
IVAN SUTHERLAND Ivan Sutherland (born May 16, 1938) is an American computer scientist and Internet pioneer. His early work in computer graphics as well as his teaching with David C. Evans in that subject at the University of Utah in the 1970’s was pioneering in the field. Sutherland, Evans,
He invented Sketchpad in 1962 while at
Professor of Electrical Engineering at Harvard
MIT. Professor Claude Shannon signed on
University. Work with student Danny Cohen in
to supervise Sutherland’s computer drawing
1967 led to the development of the Cohen–
thesis. Among others on his thesis committee
Sutherland computer graphics line clipping
were Marvin Minsky and Steven Coons.
algorithm. In 1968, with the help of his student
Sketchpad was an innovative program that
Bob Sproull, he created the first virtual reality
influenced alternative forms of interaction with
and augmented reality head-mounted display
computers. Sketchpad could accept constraints
system, named The Sword of Damocles.
and specified relationships among segments and arcs, including the diameter of arcs. It could
From 1968 to 1974, Sutherland was a professor
foundations of modern computer graphics.
draw both horizontal and vertical lines and
at the University of Utah. Among his students
combine them into figures and shapes. Figures
there were Alan Kay, inventor of the Smalltalk
He received the Turing Award from the
could be copied, moved, rotated, or resized,
language, Henri Gouraud who devised the
retaining their basic properties. Sketchpad also
Gouraud shading technique, Frank Crow, who
had the first window-drawing program and
went on to develop antialiasing methods, and
clipping algorithm, which allowed zooming.
Edwin Catmull, computer graphics scientist,
Sketchpad ran on the Lincoln TX-2 computer
co-founder of Pixar and now President of Walt
and influenced Douglas Engelbart’s oN-Line
Disney and Pixar Animation Studios.
and his students from that era invented several
Association
for
Computing
Machinery
in
1988 for the invention of Sketchpad, an early predecessor to the sort of graphical user interface that has become ubiquitous in personal computers. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, as well as the National Academy of Sciences among many other major awards. In 2012 he was awarded the Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology for “pioneering achievements in the development of computer graphics and interactive interfaces”.
System. Sketchpad, in turn, was influenced by the conceptual Memex as envisioned by
In 1968 he co-founded Evans and Sutherland
Vannevar Bush in his influential paper “As We
with his friend and colleague David C. Evans.
May Think”.
The company has done pioneering work in the field of real-time hardware, accelerated
From 1965 to 1968, Sutherland was an Associate
3D computer graphics, and printer languages. 9
Former employees of Evans and Sutherland
purchased by Sun Microsystems to form the
Sketchpad was a computer program that
included the future founders of Adobe (John
seed of its research division, Sun Labs.
pioneered the use of a graphical user interface,
Warnock) and Silicon Graphics (Jim Clark).
Sutherland was a Fellow and Vice President at Sun
one that displayed icons and graphics on the
Microsystems. Sutherland was a visiting scholar
display screen, the way today’s computers
From 1974 to 1978 he was the Fletcher Jones
in the Computer Science Division at University
do. The graphics, which could be created
Professor of Computer Science at California
of California, Berkeley (Fall 2005–Spring 2008).
and manipulated with a light pen, provided a
Institute of Technology, where he was the
On May 28, 2006, Ivan Sutherland married Marly
charming new way for humans and computers
founding head of that school’s Computer Science
Roncken. Sutherland and Marly Roncken are
to interact. Sketchpad is considered to be the
department. He then founded a consulting firm,
leading the research in Asynchronous Systems
ancestor of modern computer-aided design
Sutherland, Sproull and Associates, which was
at Portland State University.
(CAD) programs as well as a major breakthrough in the development of computer graphics in general. For example, the graphical user interface (GUI) was derived from the Sketchpad as well as modern object oriented programming. Ivan Sutherland demonstrated with it that computer graphics could be used for both artistic and technical purposes in addition to showing a novel method of human-computer interaction.
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Alan Kay 11
ALAN KAY Alan Curtis Kay (born May 17, 1940) is an American computer scientist. He has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of
was building there the best graphics program
computer interface appealed to Kay’s childlike
in the country. On the day that Kay arrived in
enthusiasm for making sure that the future would
the fall of 1966, Evans handed him a document
turn out to be fun. Sutherland’s ideas, he said,
from a stack on his desk and told him to read
were “a glimpse of heaven” and “imprinted”
it. It was the MIT doctoral dissertation of Ivan
him with a passion for creating friendly personal
Sutherland, who was then teaching at Harvard
computers.
but would soon move to Utah. Written under the supervision of the information theorist Claude
The field of computer graphics and natural
Shannon, the thesis was titled “Sketchpad:
user interfaces was on fire, and Kay soaked up
A Man-Machine Graphical Communications
ideas from many sources. At a conference at
user interface design.
System.”
the University of Illinois, Kay saw a rudimentary
He is the president of the Viewpoints Research
Sketchpad was a computer program that
neon gas. Putting that together in his mind
pioneered the use of a graphical user interface,
with Engelbart’s demonstrations of the oNLine
one that displayed icons and graphics on the
System, and roughly calculating the effect of
display screen, the way today’s computers
Moore’s Law, he realized that graphical displays
do. The graphics, which could be created
with windows, icons, hypertext, and a mouse-
and manipulated with a light pen, provided a
controlled cursor could be incorporated in small
charming new way for humans and computers
computers within a decade.
Engineering, and the Royal Society of Arts. He is best known for his pioneering work on objectoriented programming and windowing graphical
Institute, and an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is also on the advisory board of TTI/Vanguard. Until mid-2005, he was a Senior Fellow at HP Labs, a Visiting Professor at Kyoto University, and an Adjunct Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
flat-screen display, made of thin glass with
to interact. “The Sketchpad system makes it possible for a man and a computer to converse
Kay saw the future with great clarity, and he
Atari’s chief scientist for three years.
rapidly through the medium of line drawings,”
became impatient to invent it. “There would
Sutherland wrote. The realization that art and
be millions of personal machines and users,
The computer science pioneer David Evans
technology could combine to create a delightful
mostly outside of direct institutional control,” he
After 10 years at Xerox PARC, Kay became
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realized. This would require the creation of small
from an Italian printer in the early sixteenth
tools for individual creativity. He dreamed of
personal computers with graphical displays
century named Aldus Manutius, who realized
kids wandering into the woods and using them
easy enough for a kid to use and cheap enough
that personal books would need to fit into
under trees, just as they might use crayons and
for every individual to own. “It all came together
saddlebags and thus produced ones of the size
a pad of paper.
to form an image of what a personal computer
now common. Likewise, Kay recognized that
really should be.”
the ideal personal computer had to be no larger
Kay accepted an offer in 1971 to join a
than a notebook. “It was easy to know what to
corporate research center two miles away that
In his doctoral thesis he described some of its
do next,” he recalled. “I built a cardboard model
was attracting young innovators who wanted to
traits, most notably that it should be simple
of it to see what it would look and feel like.
make computers that were personal, friendly,
(“It must be learnable in private”) and friendly
and geared to individuals. McCarthy would later
(“Kindness should be an integral part”). He was
Kay’s vision was that powerful small computers,
dismiss these goals as “Xerox heresies,” but
designing a computer as if he were a humanist
complete
they ended up setting the course for the era of
as well as an engineer. He drew inspiration
processing power, would become personal
with
their
own
memory
Notebook mockup
and
personal computers.
Alto 13
Bill Gates 14
BILL GATES Bill Gates (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate, philanthropist, investor, computer programmer, and inventor. In 1975, Gates co-founded Microsoft, the world’s largest PC software company, with Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of chairman, CEO and chief software architect, and was the largest individual shareholder until May 2014. Gates has authored and co-authored several books. In September 1981 Microsoft secretly began designing a new operating system, intended to replace DOS, based on the desktop metaphor
Microsoft launched its first retail version of Microsoft Windows on November 20, 1985, and in August, the company struck a deal with IBM to develop a separate operating system called OS/2. Although the two companies successfully developed the first version of the new system, mounting creative differences caused the partnership to deteriorate. Windows
eventually
clawed
its
way
to
dominance. The market share commanded by Microsoft Windows reached 80 percent by 1990 and kept rising, to 95 percent by 2000.
with windows, icons, mouse, and pointer. In November 1983, Gates held a press conference at the Palace Hotel in Manhattan. He announced that Microsoft was developing a new operating system that would be available for IBM PCs and their clones, featuring a graphical user interface. It would be called Windows. 15
Steve Jobs 16
STEVE JOBS Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s (along with engineer, inventor, and Apple Computer cofounder, Steve Wozniak). Shortly after his death, Jobs’ official biographer, Walter Isaacson described him as the “creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones,
what Xerox PARC had created. Its researchers
The GUI was made possible by bitmapping,
had given hundreds of demonstrations to visitors,
another innovation pioneered at Xerox PARC.
and they had already distributed more than a
With his feel for design, familiarity with fonts,
thousand Xerox Altos, the expensive computer
and love of calligraphy, Jobs was blown away
developed by Lampson, Thacker, and Kay that
by bitmapping. “It was like a veil being lifted
used a graphical user interface and other PARC
from my eyes,” he recalled.
innovations. But Jobs was the first to become obsessed with the idea of incorporating PARC’s interface ideas into a simple, inexpensive, personal computer. When Job’s saw the full presentation, “You’re sitting on a goldmine,” he shouted. “I can’t
“I could see what the future of computing was destined to be.” As Jobs drove back to Apple’s office in Cupertino, at a speed that would have awed even Gates, he told his colleague Bill Atkinson that they had
tablet computing, and digital publishing.”
believe Xerox is not taking advantage of this.”
to incorporate—and improve upon—Xerox’s
Jobs’s two main visits with his team to Xerox
What caught his attention was the graphical
such as the forthcoming Lisa and Macintosh.
PARC were in December 1979. Jef Raskin, an Apple engineer who was designing a friendly computer that would eventually become the Macintosh, had already seen what Xerox was
user interface featuring a desktop metaphor that was as intuitive and friendly as a neighborhood playground. It had cute icons for documents and folders and other things you might want,
doing & wanted to convince Jobs to look into it.
including a trash-can, and a mouse-controlled
Eureka moment
did Jobs love it, but also he could see ways to
Jobs was certainly not the first outsider to see
improve it, make it simpler and more elegant.
cursor that made them easy to click. Not only
graphical interface in future Apple computers, “This is it!” he shouted. “We’ve got to do it!” It was a way to bring computers to the people. Later, when he was challenged about pilfering Xerox’s ideas, Jobs quoted Picasso: “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” He added, “And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.” 17
THE ROLES OF XEROX, APPLE, AND MICROSOFT IN GUI At Xerox PARC, Alan Kay, Doug Engelbart, and their colleagues had developed, most notably the graphical user interface (GUI, pronounced GOO-ee), which featured a desktop metaphor with windows, icons, and a mouse that served as a pointer. The creativity of the Xerox PARC team combined with the design and marketing genius of Steve Jobs (Apple) would make the GUI the next great leap in facilitating the humanmachine interaction that Bush, Licklider, and Engelbart had envisioned. The GUI was made possible by bitmapping, another innovation pioneered at Xerox PARC. Until then, most computers, including the Apple II, would merely generate numerals or letters on the screen, usually in a ghastly green against
a black background. Bitmapping allowed each
be called Windows. Although Microsoft’s GUI
and every pixel on the screen to be controlled by
was shoddy, with tiled windows that could not
the computer—turned off or on and in any color.
overlap with each other and graphics that looked
That permitted all sorts of wonderful displays,
like they had been designed by drunkards in a
fonts, designs, and graphics.
Siberian basement. Nevertheless, Windows eventually clawed its way to dominance, not
The Apple team simplified the mouse so it had
because its design was better but because its
only one button, gave it the power to move
business model was better. The market share
documents and other items around the screen,
commanded by Microsoft Windows reached 80
allowed file extensions to be changed just by
percent by 1990 and kept rising, to 95 percent
dragging a document and “dropping” it into a
by 2000.
folder, created pull-down menus, and allowed the illusion of documents piling on top of each
The primary reason for Microsoft’s success
other and overlapping.
was that it was willing and eager to license its operating system to any hardware maker. Apple,
Meanwhile, in September 1981, Microsoft
by contrast, opted for an integrated approach.
secretly began designing a new operating
Its hardware came only with its software and
system, intended to replace DOS, based on
vice versa. Jobs was an artist, a perfectionist,
the desktop metaphor with windows, icons,
and thus a control freak who wanted to be in
mouse, and pointer. In November 1983, Gates
charge of the user experience from beginning
held a press conference at the Palace Hotel in
to end. Apple’s approach led to more beautiful
Manhattan. He announced that Microsoft was
products, a higher profit margin, and a more
developing a new operating system that would
sublime user experience. Microsoft’s approach
be available for IBM PCs and their clones,
led to a wider choice of hardware. It also turned
featuring a graphical user interface. It would
out to be a better path for gaining market share. 18
BASIC COMPONENTS OF A GUI Graphical user interfaces, such as Microsoft Windows and the one used by the Apple Macintosh,
feature
the
following
basic
components: Pointer A symbol that appears on the display screen and that you move to select objects and commands. Usually, the pointer appears as a small angled arrow. Text -processing applications, however, use an I-beam pointer that is shaped like a capital I. Pointing device A device, such as a mouse or trackball, that enables you to select objects on the display screen.
Icons Small pictures that represent commands, files, or windows. By moving the pointer to the icon and pressing a mouse button, you can execute a command or convert the icon into a window. You can also move the icons around the display screen as if they were real objects on your desk. Desktop The area on the display screen where icons are grouped is often referred to as the desktop because the icons are intended to represent real objects on a real desktop. Windows You can divide the screen into different areas. In each window, you can run a different program or display a different file. You can move windows around the display screen, and change their shape and size at will. Menus Most graphical user interfaces let you execute commands by selecting a choice from a menu.
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GUI TIMELINE
1981
1973
successor to the Alto.
The first operational Alto computer is completed
Features: Double-clickable icons, overlapping
at Xerox PARC. The Alto is the first system to pull together all of the elements of the modern
Xerox introduces the Star, the commercial
program for the IBM PC but does not release it until 1985. Features: Is supposed to have overlapping / resizable windows.
windows, dialog boxes and a 1024x768 monochrome display.
Graphical User Interface. Features: 3-button mouse, Bit-mapped display. The use of graphical windows, Ethernet network.
1984 Apple introduces the Macintosh. 1983 Apple introduces the Lisa. Features: Pull down menus and menu bars.
1980 Three Rivers Computer Corporation introduces the Perq graphical workstation.
Visi Corp releases Visi On, the first integrated graphical software environment for IBM PCs. Microsoft announces their new “Windows”
Digital Research announces its GEM icon/ desktop user interface for 8086- and DOSbased computers. It also was later ported to the Atari ST. “window system X” announced at MIT. Versions 1-6 were monochrome only, and ran 20
on DEC VS100’s displays connected to VAXen
Microsoft finally releases the first version of
and VAXstations 1 and 2. Versions 8-10 dealt
Windows.
with color, for the VAXstation II/GPX. X10 is the
Features: Windows can not be overlapped, but
first version that saw widespread availability
are instead “tiled”. Windows are not allowed to
and use on many vendor’s systems. Version
cover an area at the bottom of the screen that is
11 was redesign for higher performance, more
reserved for “iconized” programs
window management styles, extensibility and better graphics capabilit
1986 Apple threatens to sue Digital Research because the GEM desktop looked too much like Apple’s Macintosh.
Digital
Research
cripples
the
desktop application so Apple will not sue. The new GEM desktop now has just two unmovable, non-resizable windows for file browsing. Tandy releases Personal DeskMate for their Tandy 1000 EX. Features: This is the first graphical version of 1985
Tandy’s previously text-based integrated office
Geos released for Commodore 64 and later the
package.
Apple II. Commodore introduces the Amiga 1000 with the Amiga Workbench Version 1.0.
1987 Apple introduces the Apple Macintosh II, the first color Macintosh. Features: 640*480*256 color with 24 bit color card available. Microsoft releases the second version of Windows, version 2.03. Features: Finally has resizable / overlapping windows and new windowing controls. Acorn releases “Arthur” for the Acorn computer, it is the basis for RISC OS. RISC OS 2 and 3 21
have a similar look, but an improved feel.
The NeXT Computer is released for $6500. It includes a 25 MHz ‘30 processor, 8 MB RAM,
1992 IBM releases OS/2 Version 2.0, a true 32-bit OS. Features a new “Workplace Shell”, an object
Apple releases Finder 1.0 for their Apple IIGS
250 MB optical disk drive, math coprocessor,
ProDOS 16 v1.3 (Later changed to GS/OS)
digital processor for real time sound, fax modem,
operating system. Earlier versions of ProDOS 16
and a 17” monitor.
with the rest of the OS.
1990
Microsoft introduces Windows 3.1. The user
had a GUI but only a simple launcher application as a shell, and bundled Apple II Desktop/ MouseDesk instead.
Commodore releases Amiga Workbench 2 for the A3000. Features: New 3d effects, a revised menu system and many other improvements. Windows 3.0 released by Microsoft Features: Program Manager shell. PC-GEOS released by GeoWorks.
oriented user interface that is heavily integrated
interface is basically the same as Windows 3.0 but now includes their “multimedia” enhancements. Quarterdeck Office Systems ships Desqview/X Features: Adds a Unix-like X “Server” to their existing text-based Desqview product. Can run Windows 3.1 as an X client application. Amiga Workbench 3 released for AGA Amigas. Features: Images for backgrounds, color pallet
1988 IBM releases OS/2 1.10 Standard Edition (SE) which added a graphical user interface called Presentation Manager. (OS/2 1.0 was text mode only!) The 1.10 GUI was written by Microsoft and looked like Windows 2.
remapping. 1993 Microsoft releases the first version of Windows NT, their 32-bit OS. They give it the version number “3.1” and use the same user interface they do for regular Windows 3.1. Made available 22
for Intel, Power PC, Alpha, and MIPS systems.
same user interface as Windows 95.
1999
1995
1997
Microsoft introduces Windows 95 on August
Mac OS 8 is finally released. Selling 1.25 million
OS with their Macintosh GUI.
24th.
copies in less than 2 weeks, it becomes the
Apple releases Mac OS X Server, a Unix based
best-selling software in that period.
2000 Apple announces Aqua, the new look for their upcoming MacOS X client.
1998 Microsoft releases Windows 98. Features:
Internet
Explorer
Web
browser
application takes over the role of the Windows shell, advertising right on the desktop, entire help system replaced by Internet Explorer. KDE 1.0 released Features: A very Windows 9x like environment 1996 New Deal releases New Deal Office 2.5, which was formerly PC-GEOS. IBM Releases OS/2 Warp 4 with a significant facelift for the Workplace Shell. Microsoft releases Windows NT 4.0 with the
for Linux. Shane Brooks Releases 98Lite, an installer that removes or prevents the installation of Internet Explorer with Windows 98. Features: No Internet Explorer or advertising, all the hardware support of Windows 98, faster boot time, and the more responsive Windows 95 shell.
Microsoft Windows 2000 (AKA Windows NT 5) becomes available in stores. Features: The Internet Explorer web browser application finally takes over the Windows NT UI. 23
2001
2007
Microsoft releases Windows XP (AKA Windows
After a long wait, Microsoft finally releases
NT 5.1)
Windows Vista (Windows NT 6.0).
Features:
Tons of eye candy.
“Product
Features: 3D hardware-rendered user interface
Activation” tethers XP to the existence of the
like MacOS X.
Microsoft corporation. The dog from Microsoft
Bundles IE 7,. unremovable as always.
Bob.
Increased Digital Restrictions Management that tries to prevent playback or duplication of unlicensed audio and video material.
important as the last vaguely sane version of Windows. 2011 Ubuntu releases 11.4 with it’s new Unity interface.
Features: Removes the task bar.
Launcher merges the role of the taskbar and the top panel’s shortcuts. The Top Bar displays the menu of the current foreground application like the MacOS menu bar. The Home Button and the “Dash” replace the Applications Menu.
2003 Microsoft releases Windows Server 2003 (AKA Windows NT 5.2 and for a time called “Windows.
2009
NET server”)
Windows 7 (NT 6.1) released - relatively little
Features:
difference over Vista, but may be historically
Drops the eye candy. Server-only
release. 24
2012
2014
Microsoft releases Windows 8 (NT 6.2), placing
OS X Yosemite is the eleventh major release of
a minimalist interface optimized for mobile
OS X, Apple Inc.’s desktop and server operating
devices over its Vista/7 desktop interface.
system for Macintosh computers.
2015
have a Microsoft Live internet account. These
Yosemite introduced a major overhaul of
the strengths of Windows 8 with Windows 7.
“apps” all run in a full screen DOS like mode
OS X’s user interface. Its graphics replaced
ironically called “Modern UI” (formerly called
skeuomorphism with flat graphic design and
Metro prior to release.) Heavily promotes
blurred translucency effects, following the
impractical “touch” navigation of the UI on
aesthetic introduced with iOS 7.
Features: “Apps” that you can only use if you
desktop systems.
Mouse navigation uses
iOS since iOS 7.
Microsoft releases Windows 10. This combines A major aspect of Windows 10 is a focus on harmonizing user experiences and functionality between different classes of devices, along with addressing shortcomings in the Windows user interface that were introduced in Windows 8. Continuing with this pattern, the successor to
invisible non-discoverable actions involving the corners of the screen.
in early versions of OS X through Tiger and in
Windows Phone 8.1 unveiled at the same event
Removes the “Start”
is also branded as Windows 10, and will share
menu from the desktop mode. Other changes
some user interface elements and apps with its
leave the desktop a confusing mix of UIs.
PC counterpart.
Other design changes include new icons, light and dark color schemes, and the replacement of Lucida Grande with Helvetica Neue as the default system typeface. The Dock is now a 2D translucent rectangle instead of a skeuomorphic glass shelf, reminiscent of the Dock design used 25
2014
OS X YOSEMITE
26
2015
WINDOWS 10
27
References: http://toastytech.com/guis/guitimeline.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interface http://www.apple.com/ca/osx/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_X_Yosemite#/media/File:OS_X_Yosemite_Desktop.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Sutherland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates
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