Blit: a multitasking, windowed UNIX GUI from 1982
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 29th Aug 2012 11:10 UTC
Graphics, User Interfaces Sometimes, you wake up in the morning, check your RSS feeds, and you know you just hit the jackpot. From the AT&T archives comes a video and description of Blit, a UNIX graphical user interface from 1982, on a 800x1024 portrait display. It employs a three button mouse, right-click context menus, multiple windows, and lots, lots more. It was developed at Bell Labs, and is yet another case that illustrates how the technology industry doesn't work in a vacuum.
E-mail Print r 10   · Read More · 52 Comment(s) http://osne.ws/kaz
Thread beginning with comment 533128
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Perq -- Jerq
by tupp on Thu 30th Aug 2012 04:51 UTC
tupp
Member since:
2006-11-12

There were also other pre-Apple GUI players, other than Xerox. As I recall, there was significant excitement about GUIs in computer magazines, before 1983.

Most notable in regards to the BLIT is the Three Rivers Perq. The Perq first appeared (and was marketed) in 1979. Of course, its development began long before it was released. Here is a video about the Perq from 1982: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOD4T442X6I

In light of the Perq, it is interesting that the later Blit was originally called the "Jerq."

Reply Score: 3

RE: Perq -- Jerq
by smashIt on Thu 30th Aug 2012 09:54 in reply to "Perq -- Jerq"
smashIt Member since:
2005-07-06

Here is a video about the Perq from 1982: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOD4T442X6I


there are even overlaping windows after 4:13 ;)

Edited 2012-08-30 09:55 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 2

RE: Perq -- Jerq
by flypig on Fri 31st Aug 2012 08:33 in reply to "Perq -- Jerq"
flypig Member since:
2005-07-13

Thanks for the link to the video, which is fascinating, not just because of how early it was, but also the fact it was created by two final-year students who had "been working on this for a couple of months". That's pretty impressive.

The quote at the end is just great: "By the way, isn't it somewhat interesting to think that these guys, these students who have made the program shown here, when they started computing education four years ago, the freshmen course in computing was a punchcard based-course in Forth."

Reply Parent Score: 3