AlphaWindows was a proposed industry standard from the Display Industry Association (an industry consortium in California) in the early 1990s that would allow a single CRT screen to implement multiple windows, each of which was to behave as a distinct computer terminal.[1][2] Individual vendors offered products based on this in 1992 through the end of the 1990s.[3][4][5]
These products were targeted at a low-end market.
The initial concept relied on custom (but low-cost) terminals which would support mouse interaction, (text) windowing support, and colored text.[3] With that, plus special host software, the vendors proposed to support semi-graphical applications "transparently".
Organization
editThe Display Industry Association was at the same location as Cumulus Technology (the same street address in Palo Alto, CA).[1][6] Cumulus was a manufacturer of displays since 1986.[7][8] Cumulus was heavily involved with development of the AlphaWindows standard. The members of the association in 1993 were:[1]
- Terminal vendors
- AT&T / NCR / ADDS (partnership)
- Cumulus
- DEC
- Link / Wyse (partnership)
- Microvitec [5]
- Siemens / Nixdorf (partnership)
- TeleVideo
- Software vendors
- Cumulus
- JSB
- Nutec
- SSSI
Only Cumulus was proposing both to develop the terminals and the host software. However, Cumulus did not survive: it went bankrupt.[8][9][10]
Software
editJSB Software Technologies produced MultiView Mascot. As noted in Unix Review:[11]
MultiView Mascot helps users access graphical applications, such as Web sites and e-mail systems, from a character-based browser. It does so by mapping graphical applications to a multiwindowed character system. Although there is the inevitable loss of graphics and formatting, the result is surprisingly workable. A hot-key feature allows any old character terminal to offer switching between multiple applications at the same time, with no programming required.
As of 2007[update], the product is owned by FutureSoft.[12][13]
SSSI (Structured Software Solutions, Inc.) produced the FacetTerm session multiplexer.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b c Richard Shuford (ed.). ""Alphawindows" -- a windowing setup for character-cell video terminals". Archived from the original on 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
- ^ Information Technology Standards Guidance — User Interface Services. Vol. 3 of 14. U. S. Department of Defense. April 7, 1997.
- ^ a b "First AlphaWindows Character-Based Terminals Set For To Appear in May, At From $600..." CBRonline.com. 1992-02-14.
- ^ New Products (July–August 1992). "Cumulus Technology Announces Support for New AlphaWindow Standard". Sys Admin Magazine. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
- ^ a b "Microvitec First Past Post in Europe with AlphaWindows Terminals; IBM OEM Pact in Prospect..." CBRonline.com. 1992-08-12.
- ^ Brad Myers (March 1995). "User Interface Software Tools".
- ^ "Cumulus Technology Wins Contract from Unisys". CBRonline.com. 1988-01-18.
- ^ a b "Company Summary — Cumulus Technology Ltd". March 1994.
- ^ David Kallman (1997-05-21). "Did Cumulus drop off the face of the earth, again?? (HP3000-L mailing list comment)".
- ^ Henry Keultjes (2005-05-04). "Small Box 'To End Digital Divide' (InterLUG mailing list comment)".
- ^ Tim Parker (March 1999). "MultiView v. 4 — Breathing new life into old character-based UNIX applications is easier with MultiView". Unix Review.
- ^ "JSB reports record revenues increase". E-consultancy. 2000-07-05.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "SurfControl sells off MultiView". E-consultancy. 2001-02-19.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Structured Software Solutions, Inc. Again Named to Fast Tech 50". FacetCorp. May 1996. Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
See also
edit
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