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Apple's 1984 commercial was targeted at their users, not developers -- at least not in the way you're thinking. The first Apple HIG was published in 1977 for the original Apple II. It was written by Bruce Tognazzini: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Tognazzini#Background He and his partner, John David Eisenberg, wrote Apple Presents...Apple, the disk that taught new Apple II owners how to use the computer. This disk became a self-fulfilling prophesy: At the time of its authoring, there was no standard Apple II interface. Because new owners were all being taught Tog and David's interface, developers soon began writing to it, aided by Tog's Apple Human Interface Guidelines, and reinforced by AppleWorks, a suite of productivity applications for the Apple II into which Tog had also incorporated the same interface. And thus interface standardization was born, out of the cumulative, compounding benefit of fulfilled user expectation. As developers, it's our job to be the wizards behind the curtain. The users are the star of the show, not us, or our egos. |