Computer Science Honours 2011
Vannevar Bush envisioned a device with touch screen, keyboard and scanner users could search for knowledge Digital computer not invented yet little l notice paid to ideas Late 1930 s, first computer designed d to performed lengthy calculations basically just a calculator
Three distinct eras: batch interfaces (1945 1968) text or command line interfaces (1969 1983) graphical user interfaces (1984 present) Didn t just disappear from one era to the next
Batch interface: First type of interface available for computers These computers had one or more interfaces that let users pre program specially formatted cards with punch holes The cards would be read in a card reader that supplied the information to the computer to process Problem: couldn t interact with the computer while the computer was processing the cards
First interactive computer graphics interface Nearly all computers of time ran batches MIT had TX 2 First interactive system dials and buttons object oriented design Uncomfortable sitting position display was input device
Father of a revolution in HCI mouse light pen (bug) joystick knee input device
"The operand selecting devices that showed up well in our tests were the mouse; the knee control; and the light pen. These three were generally both faster and more accurate than the other devices tested. Inexperienced subjects did not perform quite as well with the mouse as with the light pen and knee control, but experienced subjects found the mouse the "best" of the devices tested, and both groups of subjects found that it was satisfying to use and caused little fatigue. Although the knee control was only primitively developed at the time it was tested, it ranked high in both speed and accuracy, and seems very promising. It offers the major advantage that it leaves both hands free to work at the keyboard."
Command Line Interface: Displays a command prompt User can then type in a command using the keyboard and submit the command for processing provides text output CLI provided the possibility of interactivity with the computer major leap in usability Problem: users have to learn a list of commands to instruct the computer to do what ht you want DOS for the IBM PC and compatible computers was the most popular operating system Still used by many network administrators and programmers today The development of CLIs isn t standing still Microsoft PowerShell for Exchange Server 2007 Unix Bash (Borne Again SHell)
Text User Interface: Unlike CLIs, a TUI uses the entire screen area to perform tasks Provide greater functionality and usability for conducting tasks Like CLI, require keyboard but not mouse to interact. Users are not required to remember long lists of commands, but can select operations to perform from screen
Have been the standard d user interface since the 1990s Availability of Windows on the popular p IBM PC and compatible platforms drove GUIs to widespread acceptance You use your mouse to click on icons and menus GUIs are typically based on a metaphor of some type where the visual elements match something in our everyday experience with physical reality Another hallmark of GUIs is the customizability of the interface
office automation hide complexity, allow user to focus on tasks high resolution graphics abstract representation of files WIMP windows, icons, menus, and pointing devices
Apple Macintosh: Lisa computer was born in early 1983 $10000 Lisa failed, but a sister project, the Macintosh (Steve Jobs), was introduced in 1984 and quickly gained a small but enthusiastic customer base Macintosh (Mac) eventually overtook sales of Apple s original computer series (Apple II...) Mac OS has long been considered the superior operating system, especially over Microsoft Windows
Other GUIs during 1980s: VisiOn: 1983 makers of the first ever spreadsheet VisiCalc it did not use icons at all, requiring the user to click on text labels to start programs or work with documents Windows 1.0: 1985 inspired Bill Gates to come up with a competing product, initially titled ldinterface Manager each application had its own menu bar attached to it, just below the title bar
Other GUIs during 1980s: Amiga Workbench: 1985 came with its own GUI, Workbench ability to move windows up and down the "stack", and the ability to select, move, and work in a window without automatically bringing it to the front also had a single menu bar at the top that was normally hidden from view and activated using the right mouse button GEOS: 1986 GeoWorks and briefly became a competitor to Microsoft Windows
More GUIs during 1980s:
The 1990s and beyond: Only Windows and the Macintosh as the survivors of the GUI wars Windows: 1992 Windows 3.1 while still lacking many of the features of the Macintosh (such as an icon based file manager) it was sharp and had good looking icons, and sold millions of copies Windows 95 cemented Microsoft's lead in GUI sales, and became one of the most popular programs of all time Apple: Mac OS X and Aqua introduced the idea of a GUI where every window was double buffered in memory, so that any redraws happen off screen and aren't visible
Based on a metaphor Office automation Designed with a particular user and work environment in mind What happens when they are used outside of that environment?
Many people consider the GUI to be stagnant, differing little in its basic desktop, windows, mouse, icons, and pointer concept from the original Lisa Probably bbl more accurate to think of the GUI as a slow evolution towards an ideal interface Potential for adding new features and modes of interaction remains limitless
Is it much different to the standard GUI of the 1990s? yes it is prettier, but from an interaction point of view, how is it any different? still interacting with a 2D input device what can we use to control 3 rd dimension?
http://www.infinite 3d.com/cube.html
What about other types of computing? This course concentrates on these other types of computing non traditional input not limited to a desktop Ubiquitous Computing computing all around us Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality carry a computer with ih us Multimodal interaction not just a keyboard and mouse Mobile Computing cell phones
Advances in sensors, microprocessors Smaller, cheaper, more powerful Physical objects have become aware of surroundings Cars: monitor engines, alert driver before problem occurs Appliances: dishwashers, washing machines All these behaviors needed to be designed and communicated to the human beings
Introduction to the types of environments we are interested in