Definition
There exist many types of interaction styles. They include but are not limited to: command line interface, natural language, question/answer and query dialog, form-fills and spreadsheets, WIMP, and three-dimensional interfaces. The most common of the foregoing interaction styles is the WIMP. WIMP is an acronym for Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointers. Alternatively, it is an acronym for Windows, Icons, Mice and Pull-down menus. Examples of user interfaces that are based on the WIMP interaction style include: Microsoft Windows for PCs, MacOs for Apple Macintosh, various X Windows-based systems for UNIX, etc.
Historical Background
WIMP interfaces were invented at the SRI laboratory in California. The development of WIMP interfaces continued at Xerox PARC. The 1981 Xerox Star workstation is considered to be the first production computer to use the desktop metaphor, productivity applications and a three-button mouse. WIMP was popularized by the Apple Macintosh in the early 1980s....