After yesterday's trip down memory lane with OS/2 2.1, I will today take you even further back. With the help of the recently released Apple Lisa emulator, ToastyTech (another invaluable tool for (G)UI fanatics such as myself) updated its set of screenshots from the Lisa Office System (version 3), the first commercially available graphical user interface for home use. "This Lisa emulator tries to give you the full experience of using an Apple Lisa. The backdrop is a photo of a Lisa that changes as the power light comes on and when you 'insert' a disk. It even plays the sound of the Lisa disk drive running as you access the disk. To start the emulator you must press the 'Power button' just as you would start a real Lisa." Read more for a few notes.
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Member since:2005-11-10
Member since:2006-10-08
"The GUI predates even Xerox Parc. However Xerox put together the first 'Digital Office', putting the GUI to practical use, introducing networking, servers, productivity apps and even the laser printer."
I'd like to add postscript support, fonts, and some of the gadgeds coming with "Vista" and promoted as "new" or "revolutionary", such as clock, calendar, mail notification. And 3D ego shooters. :-)
Just have a look:
http://toastytech.com/guis/indexxerox.html
http://media.arstechnica.com/images/gui/7-AltoST.jpg
http://www2.iicm.tugraz.at/cguetl/education/projects/mischitz/image...
http://toastytech.com/guis/altomaze.jpg
But we all know MICROS~1 invented the mouse, the universe and everything. :-)
Member since:2005-07-06
No, they didnt invent the GUI. They invented what we now associate "desktop computer" with 
They did invent quite a bit. But not everything.
This guys computer had most everything 
even video conferencing!
http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/dce-bio.htm
In the 60s no less.
Anyways, I'm pretty sick of everyone giving Apple the credit of "inventing the GUI"... *sigh*
But they just say "first commercially available" machine. Though I believe the Xerox Alto was actually sold some and the Star was available if you really wanted it, and I think before the Lisa. I could be wrong.
Member since:2007-03-13
here the link of douglas engelbart demo.
http://video.google.fr/url?docid=-8734787622017763097&esrc=sr1&ev=v...
as said, they had pretty everything we have today ( except color ).. this video freaks me out more than Lost Season 1. ( love the keyboard sound lol )
I really think computer science didn't grew as fast as it can =).
edit : btw , that was my first osnews comment. cheers ^^
Edited 2007-03-13 09:32
Member since:2006-08-01
Wasn't it Xerox who invented the GUI with their Alto minicomputer system in 1972?
The did come up with the design that Apple used but I believe it was just a research system that Xerox had created, not a commercial release. It was after all, created by Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center). Apple was the first to present it to the masses.
Member since:2006-02-16
all this regurgitated chatter regarding the advent of the GUI. You's think people would have it down already! if you look at the Xerox Star and the Alto... and compare it to the Lisa and the Mac, you will see that they are NOT all that similar. Apple was the first to market with the "desk-top: metaphor.... the star and alto were TOTALLY different! they may have been the begining of the GUI, but apple did not COPY Xerox GUI. they just took the idea and RAN with it!
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Member since:
2006-08-18
Wasn't it Xerox who invented the GUI with their Alto minicomputer system in 1972?
Anyway, yeah... Apple's computers were always expensive (even more than the original IBM PC).
But a computer with a GUI operating environment in the 1970's was quite amazing. It took over a decade later for the PC to get even a primative operating environment known as Windows 1.0.
Edited 2007-03-13 00:18