Archy Desktop Environments Graphic Subsystems Operating Systems

Archy Desktop Environments Graphic Subsystems Operating Systems

Archy

Archy (formerly The Humane Environment, THE) is an operating system (OS), scalable interface for computers of many types, and an editor. Coded in the Python programming language, it has many ergonomically determined productivity and usability advantages over conventional Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs) using Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pull down menus (WIMP). The ideas behind Archy are the result of decades of research, study, and thought, fully explained in a book about human interface design, The Humane Interface, by famous Apple Computer interface pioneer, original creator of the Macintosh, Jef Raskin, 9 March 1943 - 26 February 2005, a Saturday. Raskin originally led the project, but tragically died of pancreatic cancer, at age 61. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones. Archy is open source, with a GPL license.Some are confused about whether Archy is an OS, or an editor. It is both. A good way to view it is that Archy is an OS that provides editing services to all programs, as Pick is an OS that provides database services to all programs. OSs provide many services: consistent hardware access for programs; multiplexing hardware resources between processes, programs, users; application programming (or protocol) interface (API); memory and storage allocation; scheduling.

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Editor's Picks:

- Official site advancing the work of the author of The Humane Interface. Most complete site on Archy, was THE, The Humane Environment. Also writings on diverse topics, manual, specification, screenshot, bug list, CVS, downloads. [Open Source, GPL]

- Touching memorial comic, features a Macintosh thanking Raskin.
- List of about 60 articles by Raskin, with links to them.
- Brief but thorough tribute article. [Software Development Times]
- Touching memorial comic, features hill topped with an Apple tree.
- Summary of newspaper story, useful forum comments. [Linux Today]
- Computer museum with many resources: photo galleries, information on early Apple I/II, Macintosh, IAI Swyft, Canon Cat, user interface experiments, other Raskin inventions; interviews, slides, remembrances by computer scientists.
- Clear description of Archy (was THE), divided into interface components. [Wikipedia]
- Interview of Aza Raskin on THE (Archy), and his father Jef. [ACM: Ubiquity]
- By Paul Gilster. When Jef Raskin talks about computers, it pays to listen; he has spent his career thinking about how to make computing easier. Balanced, positive explanation of THE (Archy). [Raleigh News & Observer]
- SourceForge site, with description, download, bug reports, some old news.
- By Jef Raskin; Addison-Wesley, 2000, ISBN 0201379376. Guide to interactive system design, reflects author experience and vision, shows many extant interfaces are dead ends, making computers easier to use needs new approaches. [publisher website]
- Treats Pascal poster designed by Jef Raskin, and altered by Steve Jobs.
- Film on Raskin being made via Internet collaboration. Interviews, comments, sample footage, Raskin Lectures on Interface. Short segments use Creative Commons license.
- Frank, brief interview, criticism of Macintosh, thoughts on useful user interfaces, Hypercard, progress in computing. [Guardian Unlimited]
- Brief announcement of first THE (Archy) release, with over 50 forum comments. [OSNews.com]
- By Jef Raskin. Article stressing that GUIs are not human-compatible. As long as we hang on to interfaces as we now know them, computers will remain inherently frustrating, upsetting, stressful. [Wired 1.06]
- Brief praise of Raskin, and critique of Archy zooming interface, with references, by usability expert Don Norman who was at Apple with Raskin, during the early years.
- Two sizable documents: Recollections of the Macintosh Project, More Historical Facts. Links to Bruce Horn letters.
- Book review of The Human Interface: New Directions for Interface Design, by Jef Raskin, and the usual mass of forum comments. Many varied opinions. [Slashdot]
- Short but thorough biography, links. [Wikipedia]
- Summary of newspaper story, useful forum comments. [Linux Today]
- By Alex Salkever. Raskin helped design Apple's classic user interface. He is working on a new system that could be a big improvement. Brief accessible analysis. [BusinessWeek]

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