Bill Gates with a PC, c. 1985

If you said "Apple," you’d be wrong. Although Apple generally gets the credit for bringing a more friendly user interface to the personal computer, it was actually Xerox that invented the GUI, with its Alto PC, in 1973. A GUI — Graphical User Interface — is the software that lets a user operate a computer with a mouse, rather than typing in commands. Apple took the concept further in 1983 with the release of its Lisa personal computer, a precursor to the Macintosh, which shipped in 1984. Microsoft joined the game soon after with its Windows technology. Windows 1.0 was released 25 years ago today, on November 20, 1985.

Quote: "I have discovered that there are two types of command interfaces in the world of computing: good interfaces and user interfaces." — Daniel J. Bernstein

See previous spotlights: Pelé, Owen Wilson, mouse