4 ms·

I was surprised to learn that the most direct lineage of the “folder” metaphor in Windows 95 (the first Windows which featured it in its modern form) was likely

I was surprised to learn that the most direct lineage of the “folder” metaphor in Windows 95 (the first Windows which featured it in its modern form) was likely via NeXTStep. This is derived from Steve Sinofsky’s excellent Substack[1], which walks carefully through the history of Windows 4.0/Chicago/95 and unambiguously describes Gates’ competitive target as NeXT & Jobs. Once I read this, it was hard to un-see how obviously Win95 was inspired by NeXTStep in both design and aesthetics. [1] https://hardcoresoftware.learningbyshipping.com/ https://hardcoresoftware.learningbyshipping.com/

karmakaze 4y ago
Everything ultimately came from Xerox starting with icons in 1975 and the entire Xerox Star system with folders in 1981. [0] https://www.howtogeek.com/769913/the-computer-folder-is-40-how-the-xerox-star-created-the-desktop/ https://www.howtogeek.com/769913/the-computer-folder-is-40-h...
- 8bitsrule 4y ago
  Yep, after Jobs visited PARC, there was no stopping him. Next thing you know, the C-64 had GEOS.
- karmakaze 4y ago
  But if we're giving credit, we can't leave out Douglas Engelbart's "The Mother of all Demos"[0] in 1968. > The live demonstration featured the introduction of a complete computer hardware and software system called the oN-Line System or, more commonly, NLS. The 90-minute presentation demonstrated for the first time many of the fundamental elements of modern personal computing: windows, hypertext, graphics, efficient navigation and command input, video conferencing, the computer mouse, word processing, dynamic file linking, revision control, and a collaborative real-time editor. Engelbart's presentation was the first to publicly demonstrate all of these elements in a single system. The demonstration was highly influential and spawned similar projects at Xerox PARC in the early 1970s. But I don't think it had manila folders, or called them as such. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_of_All_Demos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_of_All_Demos
steve1977 4y ago
Yeah I always felt the window decorations (close and minimize buttons) in Windows 95 clearly “took a hint” from NeXTSTEP.

karmakaze 4y ago

Everything ultimately came from Xerox starting with icons in 1975 and the entire Xerox Star system with folders in 1981. [0] https://www.howtogeek.com/769913/the-computer-folder-is-40-how-the-xerox-star-created-the-desktop/ https://www.howtogeek.com/769913/the-computer-folder-is-40-h...

8bitsrule 4y ago
Yep, after Jobs visited PARC, there was no stopping him. Next thing you know, the C-64 had GEOS.
karmakaze 4y ago
But if we're giving credit, we can't leave out Douglas Engelbart's "The Mother of all Demos"[0] in 1968. > The live demonstration featured the introduction of a complete computer hardware and software system called the oN-Line System or, more commonly, NLS. The 90-minute presentation demonstrated for the first time many of the fundamental elements of modern personal computing: windows, hypertext, graphics, efficient navigation and command input, video conferencing, the computer mouse, word processing, dynamic file linking, revision control, and a collaborative real-time editor. Engelbart's presentation was the first to publicly demonstrate all of these elements in a single system. The demonstration was highly influential and spawned similar projects at Xerox PARC in the early 1970s. But I don't think it had manila folders, or called them as such. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_of_All_Demos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mother_of_All_Demos

steve1977 4y ago

Yeah I always felt the window decorations (close and minimize buttons) in Windows 95 clearly “took a hint” from NeXTSTEP.