The development of bit-mapped screens, where the computer retains a snapshot of the entire screen within memory, brought us one step closer to the computers we have today, which use bitmapping technology to track all the objects on screen and our interaction with them.

The development of graphics and objects on screens in computer systems played a pivotal role in human-computer interaction. In the early years there were two schools of thought – one pursuing greater realism in graphic rendering, and the other using low-resolution images and objects as tools to increase useability of computers. The latter led to the development of the graphical user interface (GUI).

The IBM display unit used a bit-mapped screen and was designed to attach to an IBM 1130 computer system for computeraided design purposes. Graphic and alphanumeric images were displayed as pointto- point vectors distributed over the 1024 x 1024 possible points the display was able to plot. Vectors could be modified through the use of an alphanumeric keyboard, the program-function keyboard or the light pen. The system could provide near instantaneous responses to commands to alter drawings and allowed for a conversational mode of interaction when developing solutions to computing tasks.

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