The OS, or operating system, has long been a staple of the computer experience, but what aspect of these complex program sets have most attributed to this success? Having delved into this matter, I have concluded that the two aspects which most define this breakthrough popularity would be the GUI (Graphic User Interface) and the Touchscreen.
The GUI Originally, a computer user would have to use a lot of command line instructions to launch programs. The introduction of the Graphic User Interface (GUI) changed that by replacing the command line controls for launching programs with icons on the screen, controlled by the mouse. The first “real” version of GUI was introduced to the masses in November of 1985 in the form of Windows 1.0. So what advantages did it offer? Well, for one thing, it allowed for the running of multiple applications or programs at once, a virtual first in the times of less advanced home computers. Now people could swap in and out of their most used or needed applications without excess command line input or closing out the current program and losing their data. This increased speed and productivity as well as making operating the PC much easier and user friendly for the mostly untrained populace. With this new advent, those who shunned the computer because of the heavy command coding needed to work it now had the option to use the newest technology in a way they could easily grasp. Consumers however, were not the only ones who reaped a benefit from this advance, application developers also enjoyed increased ease of use. Programs that were very difficult to execute with command line (from an input coding standpoint) were now much easier to create and run with the graphical representation. Further, the GUI allowed for some things that could not be accomplished with command line (one example of this would be the ability to scroll through the window for the icon/file you wanted, rather than reading line upon line of directory code.). Since its inception, it has grown from just a novel concept that most experts of the day wrote off as a fad that would soon fail to a megalithic mainstay of the modern PC in all its forms.
Touchscreen
Said to have its furthest roots in the Electronic Sackbut musical synthesizers (Cohen) touchscreen technology has since evolved into the “next wave” of user to PC interface. The use of this technology has rendered the mouse (and keyboard in some cases) optional. Now the user can touch the screen to select an item, drag their finger across the screen to move objects, or even invoke the zoom feature enlarge or reduce the image. This has made using portable device such as tablets and laptops (not to mentions smartphones) much more user friendly because now the user does not need the extra bulk needed to carry peripherals. Response time is also increased, the user does not need to know where the mouse cursor is the maneuver it towards the wanted object, they need only tap the screen where they wish for instant results. Developers can use this technology to peruse and replace erroneous code much quicker than with a mouse, although a keyboard would still be useful here. To close, I believe that these two technological advances have played a massive role in the enhancement of the popularity of the PC OS, especially when used in tandem with each other.
References 1. Wolfgang Gruener (March 12, 2013) Slideshow: The History of The Desktop Operating System, Retrieved from http://www.tomsitpro.com/articles/oses-windows-dos-linux-unix,5-56.html 2. Jeremy Reimer – (May 5 2005) A History of the GUI, Retrieved from http://arstechnica.com/features/2005/05/gui/6/ 3. Nicole Cohen (December 26, 2011) Timeline: A History Of Touch-Screen Technology, Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2011/12/23/144185699/timeline-a-history-of-touch-screen-technology 4. 