[ Thanks to Kelly
McNeill for this link. ]
“With respect to computer Operating Systems, it is generally
regarded (when cost is put aside), that UNIX (with now Linux at the
fountainhead of that development) is generally the most adanced
system-level architecture with the most mature implementation (i.e.
Stable). It provided the most forward-thinking architectural
considerations — it was first to provide a system that fully
supported multi-threading, multi-tasking, multi-user, protected
memory, and most importantly — from the start was based on a
network-centric paradigm.”
“In terms of user-interface, it is known that Xerox-parc
together with Apple Macintosh (see:
http://www.mackido.com/Interface/ui_history.html) research yielded
UI advances which took almost a decade for Microsoft Windows to
match (due to legacy considerations). The “Start” menu is clearly
derived from an Apple innovation years earlier — the Apple menu.
The idea of system-level printer drivers and scalable-fonts is
another; the standardisation of keys for (command-xcv -> Cut,
Copy, Paste) across system applications was also an Apple
innovation that now resides standard within Windows. Every Windows
machine today has a mouse because the Macintosh had it first. It
can be clearly seen in this instance of the UI for Windows, that
the innovation came from outside of Microsoft.”