Office technology thrives on reliability, iteration and regular support, which is why IT services help to make your computer experience as streamlined and suitable for your workflow as possible.
Part of the reason for this is the use of a familiar, easy-to-use and intuitive graphical user interface that has been a fundamental part of computing for 41 years since the launch of Apple’s groundbreaking Macintosh, which popularised the concept.
In the wake of strong and rather controversial discussions surrounding potential replacements for the GUI format that we are so familiar with, it is important to go back and explore the foundations they were made from, why they work and if they could ever be truly replaced.
What Makes A Computer Interface?
The foundations of all computer interfaces are built around four design principles collectively known as WIMP, or “Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer”.
The window is at the centre of all operating systems designed for home users in mind, with applications being displayed in distinct frames that can be resized, adjusted and moved at will.
It is so important that the most successful operating system of all time is even called Microsoft Windows.
Icons are small representations of computer programmes, apps, tools or features that make it easier to navigate your computer, sort files by type or use common tools.
Menus predate graphical user interfaces, but having a series of common options available by either right-clicking, pressing the start menu, or clicking on a drop-down tab helped make complex tools accessible using a much simpler interface.
Finally, the physical tool that brought it all together was the pointer. Whilst it does not necessarily have to be a mouse, it remains one of the best tools for using a WIMP system and will remain the case until there is a fundamental change in how we use computers.
The idea was that an office computer should not be based on a somewhat alien command line interface, as that would require a lot of training to operate and understand.
Instead, a desktop computer should resemble a desktop, with files, documents, folders and filing cabinets being represented through windows and icons, and all of the actions you would take with said documents being undertaken using the pointing device to click on menu options or drag and drop various pieces of the desktop.
Return Of The WIMP
The first ever WIMP system was developed at Xerox PARC in 1973, and whilst it would prove hugely influential to a young Steve Jobs and contain all of the elements that make up a graphical user interface, it was not the instant, immediate success you would expect from such a world-changing machine.
It was obvious why; it cost $32,000 on launch, which adjusted for inflation is closer to $150,000, and was not really designed to be used outside of research laboratories.
By the time they attempted to sell an office computer eight years later, the Xerox Star was still ahead of the market, but was slow and still orders of magnitude more expensive than buying much cheaper CP/M-based computers and teaching a new employee how to use them.
At the time, a graphical user interface was seen as an expensive gimmick that had no place in the office due to how much it slowed down the computer.
Whilst the cheaper but still frighteningly expensive Apple Lisa did not change this, Steve Jobs knew that Xerox PARC were on the right track, and the much more affordable Macintosh would open the door for WIMP and the GUI more broadly.
Will WIMP Ever Go Away?
The WIMP interface has been the standard for office computing since the rise of Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh, and it has been difficult to fathom a computer system that is as intuitive and fully-featured which could replace it.
So could there be a time when Microsoft Windows stops using windows, icons, menus and pointers? Possibly, but it is unlikely that WIMP will go away entirely.
Mobile interfaces such as Android and iOS do not use windows, even if they use icons, menus and a pointer in the form of a touch screen.
The screen space and typical uses of mobile devices mean that a traditional desktop with windows is inappropriate, although tools such as split screen and pop-out options replicate this functionality to a certain degree.
Given that the command line interface has not completely gone away and is still used for debugging and maintenance purposes, it is difficult to see how an interface that has been ubiquitous in office computing for over 35 years will truly go away.