Brief Introduction of Human-Computer Interface

If you ask people to name one of the most important technologies of the twentieth century, one of the answers would most certainly be the computer. A computer, however, is not a technology all to itself. Many other technologies went into the modern home computers of today, including the mouse. Douglas C. Engelbart, a worker at the SRI (Stanford Research Institute), invented the mouse in 1964. However, the process of the invention of the mouse was not instantaneous and without effect on the realm of computing and society. In this paper I will be examining the problems that had to be overcome and the technologies that had to be invented for the mouse to become a reality. It also

Graphical user interface, a GUI (pronounced as either G-U-I or gooey ) allows the use of icons or other visual indicators to interact with electronic devices , rather than using only text via the command line . For example , all versions of Windows utilize a GUI whereas MS-DOS does not . The GUI was first developed at Xerox PARC by Alan Kay , Douglas Engelbart , and a group of other researchers in 1981. Later , Apple introduced the Lisa computer , the first commercially available computer , on January

The first desktop all-in-one personal computer was the HP 9830 (1972) the first known PC was IBM’s 5150 introduced in 1981. The PC was known for its CUI , it required the Disk Operating System (DOS) to operate it and it offered a broad list of business software solution such as word processors, spreadsheets, calendars etc.

Miller, R. 2010. ArticleBase.com. The History of Microsoft Window 's Early Operating Systems. Recieved July 31, 2010 from http://www.articlesbase.com/operating-systems-articles/the-history-of-microsoft-windows-early-operating-systems-1740192.html

In 1975, Allen and Gates started marketing a BASIC programming language translator with their newly founded company Microsoft (“Paul Allen” Famous entrepreneurs). Soon, through deals with other emerging companies such as Apple and Commodore, Allen had arranged for their company to purchase an operating system called Q-DOS for $50,000 (“Paul Allen” Biography). The duo reinvented the operating system and renamed it MS-DOS the gave exclusive rights of MS-DOS to a personal computer company called IBM, who had originally commissioned the OS.

After modifying the operating systems, PC DOS version 1.0 was released with IBM’s 1981 Personal Computer. Microsoft upgraded the software for the next IBM release in 1983, the first version to support hard-disk (Shustek, 2014).

Human computer interaction is an essential part of gaming and general computer usage, because it is the only way that a person can ‘Communicate’ with a computer. This is because the Person understands the inputs, for example a keyboard has letters on it, when pressed the computer will receive a binary code telling the computer that a key has been pressed and which one it was, and then the computer follows the rest of the instructions. For console this is represented by a Game controller, which have many different. Starting off they were designs like the joystick.

The purpose of the authors is to introduce the capabilities of context-aware design and give an insight into how it can positively affect and benefit the user’s lifestyle. The authors inform the audience of the three types of context-aware computer systems and uses prototype examples to clearly explain them to an audience who would not be knowledgeable about this field. The article highlights how human-computer interactions incorporated into computer systems are continuously evolving to provide a more personal, efficient and user friendly experience. This has further extended onto systems that recognise contexts and situations allowing less user inputs and more about understanding and analysing the user’s preferences.

Various technologies have been developed to allow for human-computer interaction in gaming. The main ways of human-computer interaction in gaming are through a mouse and keyboard, a controller and through a touchscreen. Controllers have evolved greatly since their inception, at the same rate video games have advanced. Controllers started with pong paddles. They came in many variations but the main concept was some form of slider, whether it moved vertically, horizontally or rotated to move the player up and down the screen during a game of pong. Some only allowed for 1D up and down movement, while more advanced ones allowed for 2D movement with the Fairchild Channel F allowing for 2D movement,

Before Graphical User Interfaces became a standard for giving commands and retrieving information, computers were controlled through the means of a text-based interface. This meant that a person had to enter text commands in order to communicate with the computer, which meant that one had to know various commands that could be entered and specific, technologic jargon that – for a ‘normal person’, not prominent in the art of computing – was simply hard, or even impossible to comprehend and memorize. On top of that, the data was displayed on the screen was usually presented in form of a column of text, employing the aforementioned jargon and syntax of ‘computer language’. As a consequence, computers were rather reserved for enthusiasts and professionals than general public, which at that time didn’t find them useful or attractive.

The Human-Computer Interaction, as defined by Margret Rouse, “HCI (human-computer interaction) is the study of how people interact with computers and to what extent computers are or are not developed for successful interaction with human beings (Rouse. 2005).” As the need for computer interaction increased, better means of interacting with computer software became a necessity. The original human-computer interaction involved punch cards, and switches, then programmers had to use machine language known as coding, then command prompts and finally Graphical User Interface (GUI). Graphical User Interfaces make it easier and more comfortable for users to interact with software products.

The SIGCHI is a special interest group which is part of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) dedicated to being a premier international society for academics, students and professionals studying the advanced topics of human technology and human-computer interaction (HCI) (ACM, 2012). The website is rich with content in the fields of human-computer technology and its role across industries in streamlining the development and launch of state-of-the-art systems and technologies. The goals of the website is well-organized and designed for ease of access and use by a wide range of users, from students and academicians to professionals designing systems and software using these technologies.

Windows 1.0 was radical in its time, as only the second operating system in existence with a GUI. Windows 1.0 also used a mouse to click instead of requiring the user to type commands. The mouse was such a new concept for users that Microsoft even included a game called Reversi to teach consumers to use the mouse. Windows 1.0 also came preinstalled with some now iconic programs like Calculator, Paint, and Notepad. In 1987 Windows 2.0 was released with some recognizable changes. There were now Desktop icons, and improved graphical support, keyboard short cuts, and also included the ability to customize the screen layout. Another key feature was the addition of Control Panel. Windows 2.0 was also the first operating system to require updates as hardware improved.

The earliest stage of learning when the subject, I, was still a baby, has to be parental learning thus parents are the very first teachers for almost everyone at the beginning of lives. It is said that such most fundamental learning are the major constituents of a person’s basic ‘layers’ of personality, thus directly determines future trends.[1] (Berliner, D. C. 1988, February)Considering the development of Microsoft Windows from scratch, in fact it wasn’t developed from absolute scratch; the Windows family originated from the idea of GUI (Graphical User Interface) which was first proposed by PARC (Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated, formerly Xero PARC),

To start, one of the biggest patterns in the history of software is the shift from computation design to presentation design. Since our machines have become stronger more time has been spent on presantation. “The history of that progression can be conveniently broken into three eras: batch (1945-1968), command-line (1969-1983) and graphical (1984 and after). The story begins, of course, with the invention[6] of the digital computer. The opening dates on the latter two eras are the years when vital new interface technologies broke out of the laboratory and began to transform users ' expectations about interfaces in a serious way. Those technologies were interactive timesharing and the graphical user interface.” [1]