Using a computer today is very simple, but there was a time when it was extremely difficult and its capabilities were quite limited. The first operating systems They were black screens and text, working through commands. Now they are easier to use thanks to the Graphic interfacebut did you know that it was the Xerox PARC Alto in 1973 who implemented it for the first time?
Graphical User Interface (GUI) is nothing more than a layer that simplifies the use of the operating system. The best known or those that we can glimpse just by hearing their name are Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS or Google Android.
Well, the first operating system with this graphical layer was developed by Xerox for its computers. It was not an easy task, but its legacy endures to this day.
Xerox PARC Alto, first operating system with graphics
As we have said, the first operating systems were nothing more than text. These were based on a background and text was written on it, specifically commands that allowed different things to be done. The options were very limited and their use was very unintuitive. It was necessary to design a system that was easier to use, that was intuitive. The first approach was in the 1960s with SAGE Projecta US Army radar operating system that used touch screens and icons.
Some time later, in the early 1970s, Ivan Sutherland introduced the concept of interactive drawing on computers, called Sketchpad. It is the basis of what would later become the user interfaces of computers. It was the company Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) that would develop the first operating system. Specifically, in 1973 the company launched the computer Xerox PARC Altothe first with a operating system with GUI.
This system was given the characteristic of including a visual system with windows, icons, menus and even a mouse. The interface based on text and commands, which was not user-friendly for the average user, was banished. Thanks to this new GUI, we can say that the concept of personal computers (PC) was born.
Alto was the first to use the concept of a desktop environment based on folders, files and windows in a visual workspace. The analogy with the real world made it easier for the user to understand the environment and how information was organized. Alan Kay began to use the term “desktop” to define the user interface. He was one of the precursors of the Alto operating system for Xerox PARC computers. It was not an easy task, since many things had to be developed or created for Alto. The first was Smalltalk, a new specific programming language that introduced the object-oriented programming paradigm. Something that is “natural” today was a revolution in those days.
Another key aspect of the Alto is that it was one of the first computers capable of connecting to a network. While today we assume that a computer (or smartphone) requires an internet connection to function and display all its capabilities, at that time it was a minimum requirement. Years later, in 1981, the Xerox Star 8010 arrived, the first workstation with a user interface. This system popularized the term “desktop” to refer to the interface. In addition, it included menus, windows and the use of a mouse, as well as the ability to connect to a network and share files.
To give you an idea, the first Apple Macintosh with a graphical operating system interface would not arrive until 1984. Also, you should know that Windows 1.0, the first version of Microsoft’s operating system with a GUI, would not arrive until November 1985.