"That device pioneered the graphical-user interface, or G.U.I., a convenient series of visual metaphors that allows us to interact more easily with our machines. The most basic computing interface is the command-line prompt, the empty box in which users write instructions in code directly to the machine; the Xerox Star replaced that forbidding vacuum with a friendly illustration of a tabletop surface, textured in patterned pixels, scattered with icons for folders, spreadsheets, and filing trays."
"Over the past decade of computing, the desktop has receded. Digital-file systems have gone the way of the IRL inbox tray. Instead, we use the search bar to call up any file that we might want to find or tap apps that provide self-contained, streamlined experiences for consuming or producing content. Our phone home screens are even less customizable and less idiosyncratic than our computer desktops; we rarely think of individual files existing on our phones."
The desktop metaphor originated in 1981 with the Xerox 8010 Star, which introduced graphical-user-interface visual metaphors to replace command-line interaction. The Xerox Star depicted a tabletop surface populated by icons for folders, spreadsheets, and filing trays, encouraging users to treat on-screen objects as physical items. Desktops accumulate disparate file formats—PDFs, JPGs, ZIPs, M4As—creating clutter similar to a stuffed desk drawer. Over the past decade, visible desktop usage has declined as users rely on search bars and app-centric, self-contained experiences to access files and content. Phone home screens are simpler and less personalized, and interface changes like Apple's Liquid Glass further homogenize icons. Artificial intelligence promises to replace desktops with chatbot-driven interaction.
Read at The New Yorker
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