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Available in 24 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-24" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">24 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D8%B7%D8%AD_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A8_(%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%A9)" title="سطح المكتب (حوسبة) – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="سطح المكتب (حوسبة)" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%B0%C5%9F_masas%C4%B1_(komp%C3%BCter)" title="İş masası (kompüter) – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="İş masası (kompüter)" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Met%C3%A0fora_de_l%27escriptori" title="Metàfora de l'escriptori – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Metàfora de l'escriptori" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs badge-Q70893996 mw-list-item" title=""><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plocha_(opera%C4%8Dn%C3%AD_syst%C3%A9m)" title="Plocha (operační systém) – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Plocha (operační systém)" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_(grafische_Benutzeroberfl%C3%A4che)" title="Desktop (grafische Benutzeroberfläche) – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Desktop (grafische Benutzeroberfläche)" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%B6%C3%B6laud_(infotehnoloogia)" title="Töölaud (infotehnoloogia) – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Töölaud (infotehnoloogia)" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%95%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%86%CE%AC%CE%BD%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%B1_%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%B3%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82_(%CF%85%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%AD%CF%82)" title="Επιφάνεια εργασίας (υπολογιστές) – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Επιφάνεια εργασίας (υπολογιστές)" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Met%C3%A1fora_de_escritorio" title="Metáfora de escritorio – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Metáfora de escritorio" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environnement_de_bureau#Métaphore_du_bureau" title="Environnement de bureau – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Environnement de bureau" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%8D%B0%EC%8A%A4%ED%81%AC%ED%86%B1_%EB%A9%94%ED%83%80%ED%8F%AC" title="데스크톱 메타포 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="데스크톱 메타포" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metafora_della_scrivania" title="Metafora della scrivania – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Metafora della scrivania" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kk mw-list-item"><a href="https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%96%D2%B1%D0%BC%D1%8B%D1%81_%D2%AF%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%96" title="Жұмыс үстелі – Kazakh" lang="kk" hreflang="kk" data-title="Жұмыс үстелі" data-language-autonym="Қазақша" data-language-local-name="Kazakh" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Қазақша</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ml mw-list-item"><a href="https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%A1%E0%B5%86%E0%B4%B8%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%9F%E0%B5%8B%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E2%80%8C" title="ഡെസ്ക്ടോപ്പ്‌ – Malayalam" lang="ml" hreflang="ml" data-title="ഡെസ്ക്ടോപ്പ്‌" data-language-autonym="മലയാളം" data-language-local-name="Malayalam" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>മലയാളം</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureaumetafoor" title="Bureaumetafoor – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Bureaumetafoor" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%87%E3%82%B9%E3%82%AF%E3%83%88%E3%83%83%E3%83%97%E3%83%BB%E3%83%A1%E3%82%BF%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%83%BC" title="デスクトップ・メタファー – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="デスクトップ・メタファー" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skrivebordsmetaforen" title="Skrivebordsmetaforen – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Skrivebordsmetaforen" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mhr mw-list-item"><a href="https://mhr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%B0%D1%88%D0%B0_%D3%B1%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB" title="Паша ӱстел – Eastern Mari" lang="mhr" hreflang="mhr" data-title="Паша ӱстел" data-language-autonym="Олык марий" data-language-local-name="Eastern Mari" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Олык марий</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Met%C3%A1fora_de_escrit%C3%B3rio" title="Metáfora de escritório – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Metáfora de escritório" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BB" title="Рабочий стол – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Рабочий стол" data-language-autonym="Русский" 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Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Desktop+metaphor%22">"Desktop metaphor"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Desktop+metaphor%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Desktop+metaphor%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Desktop+metaphor%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Desktop+metaphor%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Desktop+metaphor%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">September 2010</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> </div> </div><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Concept used on desktop computer graphical user interfaces</div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:GNOME-Screenshot-2.10-FC4.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/GNOME-Screenshot-2.10-FC4.png/220px-GNOME-Screenshot-2.10-FC4.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/GNOME-Screenshot-2.10-FC4.png/330px-GNOME-Screenshot-2.10-FC4.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/GNOME-Screenshot-2.10-FC4.png/440px-GNOME-Screenshot-2.10-FC4.png 2x" data-file-width="1400" data-file-height="1050" /></a><figcaption>A computer desktop, with various folders and files visible</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Writing_desk.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Writing_desk.jpg/220px-Writing_desk.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="313" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Writing_desk.jpg/330px-Writing_desk.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Writing_desk.jpg/440px-Writing_desk.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2250" data-file-height="3198" /></a><figcaption>The computer interface is a <a href="/wiki/Conceptual_metaphor" title="Conceptual metaphor">conceptual metaphor</a> of a <a href="/wiki/Writing_desk" class="mw-redirect" title="Writing desk">writing desk</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p>In <a href="/wiki/Computing" title="Computing">computing</a>, the <b>desktop metaphor</b> is an <a href="/wiki/Interface_metaphor" title="Interface metaphor">interface metaphor</a> which is a set of unifying concepts used by <a href="/wiki/Graphical_user_interface" title="Graphical user interface">graphical user interfaces</a> to help users interact more easily with the computer.<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated1_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated1-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The desktop metaphor treats the <a href="/wiki/Computer_monitor" title="Computer monitor">computer monitor</a> as if it is the top of the user's <a href="/wiki/Writing_desk" class="mw-redirect" title="Writing desk">desk</a>, upon which <i>objects</i> such as <a href="/wiki/Document" title="Document">documents</a> and <a href="/wiki/File_folder" title="File folder">folders</a> of documents can be placed. A document can be opened into a <a href="/wiki/Window_(computing)" title="Window (computing)">window</a>, which represents a paper copy of the document placed on the desktop. Small applications called <a href="/wiki/Desk_accessory" title="Desk accessory">desk accessories</a> are also available, such as a desk calculator or notepad, etc. </p><p>The desktop metaphor itself has been extended and stretched with various implementations of <a href="/wiki/Desktop_environment" title="Desktop environment">desktop environments</a>, since access to features and <a href="/wiki/Usability" title="Usability">usability</a> of the computer are usually more important than maintaining the 'purity' of the <a href="/wiki/Metaphor" title="Metaphor">metaphor</a>. Hence one can find trash cans on the desktop, as well as disks and network volumes (which can be thought of as <a href="/wiki/Filing_cabinet" title="Filing cabinet">filing cabinets</a>—not something normally found <i>on</i> a desktop). Other features such as <a href="/wiki/Menu_bar" title="Menu bar">menu bars</a> or <a href="/wiki/Taskbar" title="Taskbar">taskbars</a> have no direct counterpart on a real-world desktop, though this may vary by environment and the function provided; for instance, a familiar <a href="/wiki/Calendar_(stationery)" title="Calendar (stationery)">wall calendar</a> can sometimes be displayed or otherwise accessed via a taskbar or menu bar belonging to the desktop. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Desktop_metaphor&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The desktop metaphor was first introduced by <a href="/wiki/Alan_Kay" title="Alan Kay">Alan Kay</a>, David C. Smith, and others at <a href="/wiki/Palo_Alto_Research_Center" class="mw-redirect" title="Palo Alto Research Center">Xerox PARC</a> in 1970 and elaborated in a series of innovative software applications developed by PARC scientists throughout the ensuing decade. The first computer to use an early version of the desktop metaphor was the experimental <a href="/wiki/Xerox_Alto" title="Xerox Alto">Xerox Alto</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and the first commercial computer that adopted this kind of interface was the <a href="/wiki/Xerox_Star" title="Xerox Star">Xerox Star</a>. The use of <a href="/wiki/Window_control" class="mw-redirect" title="Window control">window controls</a> to contain related information predates the desktop metaphor, with a primitive version appearing in <a href="/wiki/Douglas_Engelbart" title="Douglas Engelbart">Douglas Engelbart</a>'s "<a href="/wiki/Mother_of_All_Demos" class="mw-redirect" title="Mother of All Demos">Mother of All Demos</a>",<sup id="cite_ref-ArsTechnica2_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ArsTechnica2-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> though it was incorporated by PARC in the environment of the <a href="/wiki/Smalltalk" title="Smalltalk">Smalltalk</a> language.<sup id="cite_ref-ArsTechnica3_5-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-ArsTechnica3-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>One of the first desktop-like interfaces on the market was a program called <a href="/wiki/Magic_Desk" title="Magic Desk">Magic Desk</a> I. Built as a cartridge for the <a href="/wiki/Commodore_64" title="Commodore 64">Commodore 64</a> <a href="/wiki/Home_computer" title="Home computer">home computer</a> in 1983, a very primitive GUI presented a <a href="/wiki/Low_resolution" class="mw-redirect" title="Low resolution">low resolution</a> sketch of a desktop, complete with telephone, drawers, calculator, etc. The user made their choices by moving a <a href="/wiki/Sprite_(computer_graphics)" title="Sprite (computer graphics)">sprite</a> depicting a hand pointing by using the same <a href="/wiki/Joystick" title="Joystick">joystick</a> the user may have used for <a href="/wiki/Video_gaming" class="mw-redirect" title="Video gaming">video gaming</a>. Onscreen options were chosen by pushing the fire button on the joystick. The Magic Desk I program featured a <a href="/wiki/Typewriter" title="Typewriter">typewriter</a> graphically emulated complete with audio effects. Other applications included a calculator, <a href="/wiki/Rolodex" title="Rolodex">rolodex</a> organiser, and a <a href="/wiki/Terminal_emulator" title="Terminal emulator">terminal emulator</a>. Files could be archived into the drawers of the desktop. A <a href="/wiki/Trash_(computing)" title="Trash (computing)">trashcan</a> was also present. </p><p>The first computer to popularise the desktop metaphor, using it as a standard feature over the earlier <a href="/wiki/Command-line_interface" title="Command-line interface">command-line interface</a> was the <a href="/wiki/Apple_Macintosh" class="mw-redirect" title="Apple Macintosh">Apple Macintosh</a> in 1984. The desktop metaphor is ubiquitous in modern-day personal computing; it is found in most <a href="/wiki/Desktop_environment" title="Desktop environment">desktop environments</a> of modern operating systems: <a href="/wiki/Microsoft_Windows" title="Microsoft Windows">Windows</a> as well as <a href="/wiki/MacOS" title="MacOS">macOS</a>, <a href="/wiki/Linux" title="Linux">Linux</a>, and other <a href="/wiki/Unix-like" title="Unix-like">Unix-like</a> systems. </p><p><a href="/wiki/BeOS" title="BeOS">BeOS</a> observed the desktop metaphor more strictly than many other systems. For example, external hard drives appeared on the 'desktop', while internal ones were accessed clicking on an <a href="/wiki/Icon_(computing)" title="Icon (computing)">icon</a> representing the computer itself. By comparison, the Mac OS places all drives on the desktop itself by default, while in Windows the user can access the drives through an icon labelled "Computer". </p><p><a href="/wiki/Amiga" title="Amiga">Amiga</a> terminology for its desktop metaphor was taken directly from workshop jargon. The desktop was called <a href="/wiki/Workbench_(AmigaOS)" title="Workbench (AmigaOS)">Workbench</a>, programs were called <a href="/wiki/Tools" class="mw-redirect" title="Tools">tools</a>, small applications (<a href="/wiki/Applets" class="mw-redirect" title="Applets">applets</a>) were utilities, directories were drawers, etc. Icons of objects were animated and the directories are shown as drawers which were represented as either open or closed. As in the <a href="/wiki/Classic_Mac_OS" title="Classic Mac OS">classic Mac OS</a> and <a href="/wiki/MacOS" title="MacOS">macOS</a> desktop, an icon for a <a href="/wiki/Floppy_disk" title="Floppy disk">floppy disk</a> or <a href="/wiki/CD-ROM" title="CD-ROM">CD-ROM</a> would appear on the desktop when the disk was inserted into the drive, as it was a virtual counterpart of a physical floppy disk or CD-ROM on the surface of a workbench. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Paper_paradigm">Paper paradigm</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Desktop_metaphor&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Paper paradigm"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Xerox_Star_applications.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8c/Xerox_Star_applications.jpg/220px-Xerox_Star_applications.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="175" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8c/Xerox_Star_applications.jpg/330px-Xerox_Star_applications.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Xerox_Star_applications.jpg 2x" data-file-width="354" data-file-height="282" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Xerox_Star" title="Xerox Star">Xerox Star</a> showing an application and <a href="/wiki/Computer_icon" class="mw-redirect" title="Computer icon">icons</a> on the desktop</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Mate_DE_on_Debian.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Mate_DE_on_Debian.png/220px-Mate_DE_on_Debian.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="124" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Mate_DE_on_Debian.png/330px-Mate_DE_on_Debian.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Mate_DE_on_Debian.png/440px-Mate_DE_on_Debian.png 2x" data-file-width="1366" data-file-height="768" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/MATE_(software)" class="mw-redirect" title="MATE (software)">MATE desktop environment</a> running on <a href="/wiki/Debian" title="Debian">Debian</a> showing the desktop, application menu, and About MATE window</figcaption></figure> <p>The <i>paper paradigm</i> refers to the <a href="/wiki/Paradigm" title="Paradigm">paradigm</a> used by most modern computers and operating systems. The paper paradigm consists of, usually, black text on a white background, files within folders, and a "desktop". The paper paradigm was created by many individuals and organisations, such as <a href="/wiki/Douglas_Engelbart" title="Douglas Engelbart">Douglas Engelbart</a>, <a href="/wiki/Xerox_PARC" class="mw-redirect" title="Xerox PARC">Xerox PARC</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Apple_Computer" class="mw-redirect" title="Apple Computer">Apple Computer</a>, and was an attempt to make computers more user-friendly by making them resemble the common workplace of the time (with papers, folders, and a desktop).<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It was first presented to the public by Engelbart in 1968, in what is now referred to as "<a href="/wiki/The_Mother_of_All_Demos" title="The Mother of All Demos">The Mother of All Demos</a>". </p><p>From John Siracusa:<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <blockquote><p>Back in 1984, explanations of the original <a href="/wiki/Apple_Macintosh" class="mw-redirect" title="Apple Macintosh">Mac</a> interface to users who had never seen a <a href="/wiki/GUI" class="mw-redirect" title="GUI">GUI</a> before inevitably included an explanation of <a href="/wiki/Icon_(computing)" title="Icon (computing)">icons</a> that went something like this: "This icon represents your file on disk." But to the surprise of many, users very quickly discarded any semblance of indirection. This icon <i>is</i> my file. My file <i>is</i> this icon. One is not a "representation of" or an "interface to" the other. Such relationships were foreign to most people, and constituted unnecessary mental baggage when there was a much more simple and direct connection to what they knew of reality.</p></blockquote> <p>Since then, many aspects of computers have wandered away from the paper paradigm by implementing features such as "shortcuts" to files, <a href="/wiki/Hypertext" title="Hypertext">hypertext</a>, and non-spatial file browsing. A shortcut (a link to a file that acts as a redirecting proxy, not the actual file) and hypertext have no real-world equivalent. Non-spatial file browsing, as well, may confuse novice users, as they can often have more than one window representing the same folder open at the same time, something that is impossible in reality. These and other departures from real-world equivalents are violations of the pure paper paradigm. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Desktop_metaphor&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Desktop_environment" title="Desktop environment">Desktop environment</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/File_browser" class="mw-redirect" title="File browser">File browser</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_GUI" class="mw-redirect" title="History of the GUI">History of the GUI</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interface_metaphor" title="Interface metaphor">Interface metaphor</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operating_system" title="Operating system">Operating system</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Skeuomorph" title="Skeuomorph">Skeuomorph</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tiling_window_manager" title="Tiling window manager">Tiling window manager</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Virtual_desktop" title="Virtual desktop">Virtual desktop</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/WIMP_(computing)" title="WIMP (computing)">WIMP (computing)</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes_and_references">Notes and references</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Desktop_metaphor&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Notes and references"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-autogenerated1-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-autogenerated1_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20010222011552/http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/~l0f0954/academic/cpsc610/hw2-3.htm">"Desktop Metaphor"</a>. <i>www.csdl.tamu.edu</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/~l0f0954/academic/cpsc610/hw2-3.htm">the original</a> on 2001-02-22<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2011-06-09</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.csdl.tamu.edu&rft.atitle=Desktop+Metaphor&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.csdl.tamu.edu%2F~l0f0954%2Facademic%2Fcpsc610%2Fhw2-3.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ADesktop+metaphor" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKovedSelker1999" class="citation web cs1">Koved, Larry; Selker, Ted (1999). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/doc/10.1.1.22.1340">"Room with a view (RWAV): A metaphor for interactive computing"</a>. IBM TJ Watson Research Center. <a href="/wiki/CiteSeerX_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="CiteSeerX (identifier)">CiteSeerX</a> <span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.22.1340">10.1.1.22.1340</a></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Room+with+a+view+%28RWAV%29%3A+A+metaphor+for+interactive+computing.&rft.pub=IBM+TJ+Watson+Research+Center&rft.date=1999&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fciteseerx.ist.psu.edu%2Fviewdoc%2Fsummary%3Fdoi%3D10.1.1.22.1340%23id-name%3DCiteSeerX&rft.aulast=Koved&rft.aufirst=Larry&rft.au=Selker%2C+Ted&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fciteseerx.ist.psu.edu%2Fdoc%2F10.1.1.22.1340&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ADesktop+metaphor" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Thacker, Charles P., et al. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/blampson/25-Alto/25-Alto.pdf">Alto: A personal computer.</a> Xerox, Palo Alto Research Center, 1979.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-ArsTechnica2-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-ArsTechnica2_4-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFReimer2005" class="citation web cs1">Reimer, Jeremy (2005). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://arstechnica.com/old/content/2005/05/gui.ars/2">"A History of the GUI (Part 2)"</a>. <i>Ars Technica</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-09-14</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Ars+Technica&rft.atitle=A+History+of+the+GUI+%28Part+2%29&rft.date=2005&rft.aulast=Reimer&rft.aufirst=Jeremy&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2Fold%2Fcontent%2F2005%2F05%2Fgui.ars%2F2&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ADesktop+metaphor" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-ArsTechnica3-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-ArsTechnica3_5-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFReimer2005" class="citation web cs1">Reimer, Jeremy (2005). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://arstechnica.com/old/content/2005/05/gui.ars/3">"A History of the GUI (Part 3)"</a>. <i>Ars Technica</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-09-14</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Ars+Technica&rft.atitle=A+History+of+the+GUI+%28Part+3%29&rft.date=2005&rft.aulast=Reimer&rft.aufirst=Jeremy&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2Fold%2Fcontent%2F2005%2F05%2Fgui.ars%2F3&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ADesktop+metaphor" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://toastytech.com/guis/desk.html">"Realworld Desk"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Realworld+Desk&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Ftoastytech.com%2Fguis%2Fdesk.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ADesktop+metaphor" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/finder.ars/3">"About the Finder..."</a> <i>arstechnica.com</i>. 2003.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=arstechnica.com&rft.atitle=About+the+Finder...&rft.date=2003&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2Farticles%2Fpaedia%2Ffinder.ars%2F3&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ADesktop+metaphor" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Desktop_metaphor&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/finder.ars/3">ArsTechnica article on the spatial Mac OS Finder</a></li></ul>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?useformat=desktop&type=1x1&usesul3=0" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; 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</div> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-header-end" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="vector-sticky-header-icons"> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-talk-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="talk-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-speechBubbles mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-speechBubbles"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-subject-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="subject-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-article mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-article"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-history-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="history-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-history mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-history"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only mw-watchlink" id="ca-watchstar-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="watch-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-star mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-star"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-edit-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="wikitext-edit-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikiText mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-wikiText"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-ve-edit-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="ve-edit-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-edit mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-edit"></span> <span></span> </a> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only" id="ca-viewsource-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="ve-edit-protected-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-editLock mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-editLock"></span> <span></span> </a> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-header-buttons"> <button class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet mw-interlanguage-selector" id="p-lang-btn-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-wikimedia-language"></span> <span>24 languages</span> </button> <a href="#" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive" id="ca-addsection-sticky-header" tabindex="-1" data-event-name="addsection-sticky-header"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-speechBubbleAdd-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-speechBubbleAdd-progressive"></span> <span>Add topic</span> </a> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-header-icon-end"> <div class="vector-user-links"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-settings" id="p-dock-bottom"> <ul></ul> 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