An Introduction to OpenWindows

Abstract

Developments in microelectronics over the last 10 to 15 years have led to major changes in the ways people work with computers. More powerful microprocessors and cheaper memory chips have led to personal workstations which have moved computing out of the traditional machine room and into the user’s office. Developments in computer networks have also assisted the redistribution of computing power further into the hands of the users. And the introduction of high resolution displays, with associated pointing devices, has provided new opportunities for improving the interface between user and machine. In the jargon of Information Science, graphical workstations are able to offer more cycles and a greater bandwidth of information communication, between user and machine, than was previously possible.