Craig P
For your breakfast brainfluff, here's a reminder that Star Trek's incredibly cool and famous LCARS is surprisingly similar to the PDP10. Both came out in 1966 and evolved steadily until the 80s, I assume symbiotically. Computer nerds tend to be Trekkies and visa-versa.
The entire idea seems deeply rooted in late-sixties aesthetic, just before the psychedelic colors of the 70s. I don't know if it's possible for people to recreate the unique flair now, sixty years after the fact.
Craig P
What I'm saying is that LCARS isn't a cute twist on computing, or an attempt to create a retro-future style.
That was literally the cutting edge of UI when it was invented. That was how the most powerful computers on the market looked.
Just with some space age stuff thrown in.
Craig P
You can see the influences at play.
For example, here TOS is using a PDP-6 inspired design with a few industrial factory management plates that look cool.
At this time, LCARS basically didn't exist.
Craig P
A few displays using lights like these, which were juuuust becoming the norm.
To be clear, this is simply a sequence of horizontal status bars, but the lighting of the era was so primitive they have different yellow-green-red panels to give the yellow-green-red indicator.
The use of color as part of the interface itself was still on the horizon.
Craig P
But the visual certainly predates TNG, which was mid-eighties.
In Star Trek the Motion Picture, you can already see the foundations, and they became clearer with each movie.
But I think it's clear the PDP-10 had the time advantage. I think it's clear the PDP-10 inspired Star Trek, not the other way around.
Craig P
Its predecessor, the PDP-6, has the same fundamental layout... but instead of strips of colored white-blue-navy with glowing dots, it was just rows of faceless lights and switches. Viva la fifties.
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