On April 27, 1981, Xerox introduced the Star 8010 Information System — the first commercial computer with a graphical user interface. Bitmapped display, desktop metaphor, icons, windows, mouse, WYSIWYG. Everything we take for granted about modern computing started with a $16,595 workstation that most people never used. Today marks the 45th anniversary of that moment. Five Milestones in 45 Years The GUI's history can be traced through a handful of defining moments: 1981 · Xerox Star : GUI is born. The desktop metaphor becomes the foundational paradigm for human-computer interaction. 1984 · Macintosh : Apple brings GUI to the consumer market. Computing becomes visual for everyone. 1995 · Windows 95 : The Start menu and taskbar. GUI becomes the global default. 2007 · iPhone : Multi-touch replaces the mouse. GUI extends from desktops to pockets. 2025–2026 · GUI Agents : AI learns to "see" screens and operate them autonomously. The first four milestones share one constant: the user is always a human .…