AlphaWindows explained

AlphaWindows was a proposed industry standard from the Display Industry Association (an industry consortium in California) in the early 1990s that would allow a single CRT screen to implement multiple windows, each of which was to behave as a distinct computer terminal.[1] [2] Individual vendors offered products based on this in 1992 through the end of the 1990s.[3] [4] [5]

These products were targeted at a low-end market.

The initial concept relied on custom (but low-cost) terminals which would support mouse interaction, (text) windowing support, and colored text. With that, plus special host software, the vendors proposed to support semi-graphical applications "transparently".

Organization

The Display Industry Association was at the same location as Cumulus Technology (the same street address in Palo Alto, CA).[1] [6] Cumulus was a manufacturer of displays since 1986.[7] [8] Cumulus was heavily involved with development of the AlphaWindows standard. The members of the association in 1993 were:

Terminal vendors:
Software vendors:

Only Cumulus was proposing both to develop the terminals and the host software. However, Cumulus did not survive: it went bankrupt.[8] [9] [10]

Software

JSB Software Technologies produced MultiView Mascot. As noted in Unix Review:[11]

, the product is owned by FutureSoft.[12] [13]

SSSI (Structured Software Solutions, Inc.) produced the FacetTerm session multiplexer.[14]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: "Alphawindows" -- a windowing setup for character-cell video terminals . Richard Shuford. 2007-09-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081007095640/http://www.cs.utk.edu/~shuford/terminal/alphawindows_news.txt . 2008-10-07 . dead .
  2. Book: Information Technology Standards Guidance — User Interface Services . U. S. Department of Defense . April 7, 1997 . 3 of 14 .
  3. Web site: First AlphaWindows Character-Based Terminals Set For To Appear in May, At From $600... . CBRonline.com . 1992-02-14 .
  4. Cumulus Technology Announces Support for New AlphaWindow Standard . New Products . Sys Admin Magazine . July–August 1992 . 2007-09-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110723144219/http://anselmo.homeunix.net/SysAdmin-Journal/html/v01/i02/products.htm . 2011-07-23 . dead .
  5. Web site: Microvitec First Past Post in Europe with AlphaWindows Terminals; IBM OEM Pact in Prospect... . CBRonline.com . 1992-08-12 .
  6. Web site: User Interface Software Tools . Brad Myers . March 1995 .
  7. Web site: Cumulus Technology Wins Contract from Unisys . CBRonline.com . 1988-01-18 .
  8. Web site: Company Summary — Cumulus Technology Ltd. . March 1994 .
  9. Web site: Did Cumulus drop off the face of the earth, again?? (HP3000-L mailing list comment) . David Kallman . 1997-05-21 .
  10. Web site: Small Box 'To End Digital Divide' (InterLUG mailing list comment) . Henry Keultjes . 2005-05-04 .
  11. Web site: MultiView v. 4 — Breathing new life into old character-based UNIX applications is easier with MultiView. . Tim Parker . Unix Review . March 1999 .
  12. Web site: JSB reports record revenues increase . E-consultancy . 2000-07-05 .
  13. Web site: SurfControl sells off MultiView . E-consultancy . 2001-02-19 .
  14. Web site: Structured Software Solutions, Inc. Again Named to Fast Tech 50 . FacetCorp . May 1996 . 2007-09-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080511162036/http://www.facetcorp.com/pr_facetwin1.1.html . 2008-05-11 . dead .

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