Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Smalltalk
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The modern GUI—windows, icons, menus, and pointing—owes much to work done at Xerox PARC. Understanding which environments showcased these ideas helps trace the lineage from research systems to commercial desktops at Apple and Microsoft.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Smalltalk at Xerox PARC was both a programming language and an interactive environment exhibiting overlapping windows, direct manipulation, and object-oriented design—core GUI concepts. While the Xerox Star workstation later commercialized a GUI, Smalltalk is the best match among the provided options for “graphical interfaces first used in a Xerox product called …”. Ethernet is a networking technology; InterLISP and ZetaLISP are Lisp systems not singled out for GUI invention in the same way.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Verification / Alternative check:
Histories of GUI credit PARC’s Smalltalk environment and the later Xerox Star; among the listed names, Smalltalk uniquely fits GUI origins.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Common Pitfalls:
Confusing the research environment (Smalltalk on Alto) with later commercial products; attributing GUI firsts to networking or unrelated language distributions.
Final Answer:
Smalltalk
Discussion & Comments