Cyberworlds: computers and connections

Interface
where people and computer meet

An interface is the boundary across which two systems communicate. The human-computer interface is the connecting point between a computer and the person using it.
In recent years the focus of computer interface design has shifted from the machine to the user. A well-designed interface helps people perform tasks. Most would agree that there is room for improvement.

This section looks at the progress that has been made in computer interface design and considers where it may lead.

pple Mac 128
Apple Macintosh
The Apple Mac 128 was the first inexpensive personal computer to use a graphical user interface (GUI). Released in 1984, it had windows, icons and pulldown menus. The user moved a pointer on the screen, controlled by a mouse. Many experienced computer users were highly offended by the Mac’s pictorial simplicity and toy-like appearance. The Mac created vast new groups of computer users. The idea of the GUI was copied by other software developers and is now the standard.
Gift of Mr Peter Henderson. 97/174/2

Mattel powerglove
Made by Mattel in 1989 as an input device for Nintendo computer games, the PowerGlove is a sophisticated piece of hardware disguised as a toy. By combining the PowerGlove with visual information from a pair of Sega 3D glasses (another extinct toy), computer hackers built home-made virtual reality systems. Powerhouse Museum collection.
The National-Elliott 405
The National-Elliott 405, which arrived from England in 1959, was the first computer brought to Australia for commercial applications. The CSIRO purchased it in the early 1960s for their National Standards Laboratory at Alpha House in Sydney. Like other first-generation computers, the National-Elliott used bulky electronic valves and was a huge machine. This ‘input/output’ interface accompanied 12 metres of tall green cabinets which made up the computer’s processing circuits.