12 Apr
2007
12 Apr
'07
5:46 p.m.
On 4/12/07, Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote:
My point was that graphical capabilities are perhaps
sufficient, but
not necessary for a windowed environment. Similarly, a windowed
environment does not require graphics. I have a copy of Mewel
(including source code) here that illustrates that quite nicely.
I think perhaps the terminology that folks are dancing around is that
"WIMP != windows"... the now-deprecated term for MS Windows, classic
MacOS, AmigaOS, and their ilk was, at the time they were new, "WIMP"
for Windows, Icons, Menus and Pulldowns (or was it "Pop-ups" or
"Pointers"?) There were plenty of text-box-based windowish
applications for DOS, or for dumb terminals off of DEC machines, but
they typically lacked attached menu bars, pop-up or drop-down ,menus,
or even a pointing device. That, I think is more the defining
characteristic than the window itself, but over time, the window is
what people fixate on, not the setting of the window.
So to be clear, I am agreeing with the position that one can have
Windows outside of a GUI (and that one can have a GUI that lacks
windows, such as a CAD program), but in the mind of the masses, GUIs
== windows.
-ethan