Graphical User Interface Gallery

For those interested in computing history there is a brilliant website (guidebookgallery.org) that stores images of old operating systems and software. Although I have used many of them, most pre-date me and therefore it is interesting to see how they looked (I don't envy anyone that had to use one). You can also follow the design path through to current day Operating Systems, such as OS X and Windows 7.

Here are a few classics:

Mac OS

Mac OS System 1.1, released in 1984 and followed up the initial release of Mac OS. This is where it all began and I am surprised anyone made it past the loading screen without throwing up!

Once you make it to the desktop you are presented with a familiar Mac OS look, although locked in black and white. I don't think they had got time machine up and running yet...

Mac OS System 8.0 was released shortly after the return of Steve Jobs in 1997. At the time Apple were going through a difficult period and the future was very uncertain. Don't worry though, it's only a few years before Steve introduces a device that lets you put "1000 songs in your pocket".

One of the significant changes in Mac OS 8.0 was the ability to change the appearance themes from the new default "Platinum". Apple sold approximately 3 million copies of Mac OS 8.0 within six months, this was mainly due to the die hard Mac fans rallying to help Apple through their financial difficulties.

Microsoft Windows

Released in 1985, the first release version of Windows 1.0 is actually numbered 1.01 (these number issues still plague Microsoft right up to Windows 7). It was made available on floppy disks only and had to been installed from DOS. The same was true with all versions of Windows up to and including Windows 3.1x.

Although Windows would become the global beast, it had a slightly rocky start. It was first presented to the public in 1983 after two years of delay. Initially Windows had features similar to the Macintosh interface and Microsoft had to change many of them, for example overlapping windows, although supported by the GUI engine, weren't allowed for exactly this reason.

Probably one of the worst Operating Systems ever made and one of the biggest embarrassments for Microsoft was Windows Me. It was released to coincide with the millennium and was a continuation of the Windows 9x model before moving over to NT with Windows XP just one year later. Windows Me was so bad that Microsoft even denied its existence in the recent Windows 7 marketing campaign.

Windows Me continued the familiar look of Windows 95/98, with a few minor visual tweaks. In 2006 Microsoft officially killed Windows Me, offering no additional support for the product.

To see the full list of Operating Systems and other software be sure to check out guidebookgallery.org.