IRIX Interactive Desktop (originally called Indigo Magic) is a desktop environment normally used as the default desktop on Silicon Graphics workstations running IRIX. The IRIX Interactive Desktop uses the Motif widget toolkit on top of the X Window System found on most Unix systems. The default window manager on the IRIX Interactive Desktop is 4dwm. IRIX Interactive Desktop debuted in September 1993 on the Indy workstation model. [1] (http://www.futuretech.blinkenlights.nl/pcw9-93indy.html) In graphical computing, a desktop environment (DE) offers a complete graphical user interface (GUI) solution to operate a computer. ... Current Silicon Graphics logo. ... IRIX is the System V-based Unix Operating System with BSD extensions developed by Silicon Graphics (SGI) to run natively on their 32 and 64-bit MIPS architecture workstations and servers. ... Motif (or capitalized MOTIF) is a graphical widget toolkit for building graphical user interfaces under the X Window System on UNIX and other POSIX-compliant systems. ... In computer programming, widget toolkits (or GUI toolkits) are sets of basic building elements for graphical user interfaces. ... In computing, the X Window System (commonly X11 or X) is a windowing system for bitmap displays. ... UNIX is a portable, multi-tasking and multi-user computer operating system originally developed by a group of AT&T Bell Labs employees including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and Douglas McIlroy. ... A window manager is software that controls the placement and appearance of application windows under the X Window System, a graphical user interface on Unix systems that enables a user to interact with a number of application programs simultaneously. ... 4dwm is a desktop environment normally used as the default desktop on Silicon Graphics workstations running IRIX. 4dwm is derived from the older mwm window manager and uses the Motif widget toolkit on top of the X Window System found on most Unix systems. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ... Overview The Indy was the fruit of SGIs effort to muscle into the market for desktop publishing, low-end CAD, and multimedia. ...

IRIX Interactive Desktop has two primary components: the System Manager and the Toolchest. The System Manager is the main utility for desktop and system configuration. The Toolchest is a menu (normally located on the desktop) that shows which applications are installed on that particular Silicon Graphics workstation. When not in use, program windows minimize onto the desktop in a small square shape with a distinct vector graphic icon. Vector graphics or geometric modeling is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and polygons to represent images in computer graphics. ...

The IRIX Interactive Desktop was one of the first default graphical user interface desktops to be standard on a particular Unix computer system. An example of graphical user interface in Mac OS X A graphical user interface (or GUI, pronounced gooey) is a method of interacting with a computer through a metaphor of direct manipulation of graphical images and widgets in addition to text. ...

External links

• SGI Graphics FAQ (http://www.faqs.org/faqs/sgi/faq/graphics/)
• Toastytech IRIX Interactive Desktop screenshots (http://toastytech.com/guis/irix.html)