Wimp (Windows, Icons, Menus, and Pointing Devices)
Most personal computers in use today provide an interface for their users that employs windows, icons, menus, and pointing devices. WIMP interfaces allow the user to exchange information with the computer by means of a pointing device (often a mouse) and a video monitor.
The pointing device referred to in the WIMP acronym enables the user to select images, words, and the like on the display screen. The pointing device can be any one of a number of devices, such as a touch-pad or trackball, but is most often a mouse. By manipulating the pointing device the user sends information to the computer, which in turn directs movement of a pointer (or cursor) on the monitor. The pointer is a symbol such as a small angled arrow or a figure shaped like the letter I. By moving the pointer over a word or image and then pressing a button, the user sends a command to the computer to mark that object for movement, activation, or the like. The user can then command the computer (using either an other cursor action or a keyboard action) to save a file to disk drive, launch a program, or whatever action might be appropriate for the selected object. The windows in WIMP refers to the discrete rectangular areas that appear on the computer's monitor, inside each of which are images and texts generated by the computer's software. As a program runs, its output is, usually, updated in its associated window. By using the pointing device, windows can be opened, closed, or re-sized. The icons of WIMP are small pictures that represent things like programs, folders, and individual files. Pointing and clicking on an icon directs the computer to perform a particular action, such as opening a window to display the contents of a file or the output of an application. WIMPs menus are lists of commands displayed optionally on the screen. A menu command can be activated by placing the cursor over it and then clicking a button.
The advent (and continued dominance) of the WIMP interface is due to a variety of historical events. One of these was the introduction of the microcomputer in the 1970s, which soon led to the development of personal computers (general-purpose microcomputers intended for use by a single user). The microcomputer was made possible by the development of the microprocessor (a computer-on-a-chip minus memory). The first commercial microprocessor was the Intel 4004, first produced in 1971 for use in electronic calculators. Computers that used microprocessors for their central processing unit were called microcomputers. By the mid-1970s, many companies were offering microcomputers or personal computers for sale. For example, in 1975 the company MITS introduced the Altair 8800 kit, which hobbyists purchased to assemble into their own microcomputer. However, these early consumer microcomputers did not offer a WIMP interface between the user and computer; indeed, the Altair 8800 had no monitor, keyboard, or printer! In 1977, Apple computer introduced what many consider to be the first successful personal computer, the Apple II. The Apple II had a keyboard and monitor, but no WIMP capabilities. In 1984 Apple introduced its highly successful Macintosh line of computers, which were the first commercial personal computers with a full WIMP interface.
The interactive capabilities of the Macintosh were borrowed from the creators of the first graphical user interface (GUI, pronounced GOO ee). The first GUI was demonstrated on a microcomputer called the Alto in 1973. The Alto was created at Xerox Corporation's Palo Alto Research Center in Palo Alto, California (Xerox PARC). The Alto had many features in common with today's WIMP systems, combining a mouse with a point-and-click GUI. This prototype computer system was demonstrated to Xerox management for possible commercial development, but management failed to grasp the enormous potential of such a system and declined to develop it further. However, Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers, did recognize the potential benefits offered by Alto's graphical interface, and incorporated its features into the company's Lisa and Macintosh computer lines.
The Apple Macintosh was a stunning commercial success. Its many fans were enamored with its WIMP features, which made computing seem much more natural than previous user interfaces such as command-line interfaces employing typed-in text commands or menu-based interfaces that offered lists or arrays of commands that the user activated by pressing keys on the keyboard. Others, however, were content with less intuitive input systems. For instance, users of Microsoft Corporation's disk operating system (DOS), which provided users a command-line interface, used the acronym WIMP in a derisive manner when referring to the Macintosh operating system. In spite of this cadre of loyal users, Microsoft Corporation decided that it, too, needed an operating system with GUI capabilities. Microsoft introduced its first GUI-capable operating system, Windows 1.0, in late November 1985. Though rather crude compared to the rival Macintosh operating system, Microsoft's Windows, through repeated release of upgraded versions, would eventually become the world leader in operating system sales.
This is the complete article, containing 827 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page).
