(1979-05-28) Raskin Design Considerations For An Anthropophilic Computer

Jef Raskin: Design Considerations for an Anthropophilic Computer. This is an outline for a computer designed for the Person In The Street (or, to abbreviate: the PITS); one that will be truly pleasant to use

Source: Jef Raskin, "Design Considerations for an Anthropophilic Computer" (28-29 May 1979)-- in "The Macintosh Project: Selected Papers from Jef Raskin (First Macintosh Designer), Circa 1979,"

Large manuals, or many of them (large manuals are a sure sign of bad design) is taboo. Self- instructional programs are NOT taboo.

The computer must be in one lump. This means, given present technology, a 4 or 5 inch CRT (unless a better display comes along in the next year), a keyboard, and disk integrated into one package. It must be portable, under 20 lbs, and have a handle.

Clearly, there should be BASIC available. And there should be some underlying system language, reachable through BASIC, so that OEN software houses (and our own programmers) can do what's necessary. One very small, inexpensive and compact language suitable for this application is FORTH

The system must not have modes or levels. The user always knows where he or she is because there is only one place to be.

The language should be pure interpreted. All system commands should be embedded in the language, all statements in the language must be commands. The program should be user-interuptable (and process interuptable) and resumable even after being changed. Anything that can be done by the user can done by the program and vice versa.

Graphics must be in the language as well as sound generation via an internal speaker.

a network is an essential part