Windows 1

[SteveG]

Proof of concept ?

I was surprised how easy it was for the current generation pick up using Windows on the PC’s in my collection.

At the time I found it hard to use the mouse and graphics interface as I had only used dumb terminal interfaces.

Here are some photos of Windows 1 and early PC’s being mastered by the current generation.

 

[Eudimorphodon]

Heh. My kids figured out MacPaint on a 512K Fat Mac easily enough. They were pretty confused why there was no color, however.

 

[SteveG]

I guess Bill Gates was trying to catch up with Steve Jobs at the time.

The early Windows 1 documentation was very good especially compared to the later puny efforts.

 

[SomeGuy]

At previous VCF SE where I exhibit Windows 1, I've noticed that kids seem to be able to pick up Windows 1 paint fairly easily.

Although Windows 1 is a bit clunky and limited, it is fairly consistent and organized. Aside from the lack of an icon-desktop, much of it mimics the Macintosh. That means the UI is organized around a small set of distinct and constant user interface elements, that is fairly intuitive and easy to learn through trial and error.

No "dark patterns", no advertising jumping around trying to get your attention, no data mining your every action, no wading through how a dozen different developers think a UI should work.

Of course, what blows many people's minds is when they comment how slow Windows 1 runs on a 4.77mhz 8088 with CGA, and then I double click on a file named BADAPPLE.....

 

[whartung]

Considering the wild west UI atrocities that show on the web and mobile, picking up Windows 1 should be easy!

 

[SomeGuy]

Yea, when "modern" web accessibility settings have to include an option to opt out of getting seizures, things have gone horribly wrong. No need to worry about that under Windows 1.

 

[krebizfan]

I don't understand how web development got so far off the rails.

Windows 1 had some third party applications with unconventional interfaces like SQL*Windows or Balance of Power. I suspect Command Post with its tricky cascading menus tacked on the MS-DOS Exec would confuse many though that may have been an early Windows 2 program.

 

[Makefile]

I don't understand how web development got so far off the rails.

It turns out IE 6 was a blessing in disguise since, as long as it had to be supported, it kept web developers' worst instincts (like reimplement an entire UI toolkit in JS) under control :D

 

[Caluser2000]

If you a interested in GUIs go have a gander at Nehten Linbecks site. http://toastytech.com/guis/index.html