"VisiCorp is better known for VisiCalc. Launched for the Apple II in 1979, this was the first spreadsheet program for personal computers. Later, VisiCalc was supplanted by Lotus 1-2-3, as developed by MIT laureate Mitch Kapor - before 1-2-3 was outcompeted by Excel. It was very rudimentary indeed, but it was transformative and created an entirely new category of software."
"In other words, although it took a few years to make it to release, Visi On was designed before Apple showed off its first GUI computer. Visi On is a WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer) GUI that was laid out without any influence from Apple's design, and wow, does it show. You can get a very vague impression from perusing screenshot galleries - we reckon that ToastyTech has the best - but"
A lost SDK for the 42-year-old VisiCorp Visi On operating environment has been recreated, enabling deep analysis and development of new applications. Visi On was one of the first GUIs for IBM-compatible PCs, previewed in 1982 and designed before the Apple Lisa and Macintosh. The interface implemented a WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer) model that appears to have been created without direct influence from Apple's designs or Xerox PARC conventions. Visi On was funded from VisiCorp's VisiCalc profits; VisiCalc launched on the Apple II in 1979 and spawned the spreadsheet software category. Visi On had limited market impact but offers valuable insight into early GUI evolution.
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