Starfire video prototype
Encyclopedia
Starfire was a Sun Microsystems
promotional video filmed in 1994, demonstrating Bruce Tognazzini
's ideas for a 21st-century computer user interface
. Inspired in part by Apple Computer
's Knowledge Navigator
film from 1987, Tognazzini and his team at SunSoft sought to create a more realistic look at how computer technology and interfaces would improve. The project drew together the talents of more than 100 engineers, designers, futurists, and filmmakers in an effort to both predict and guide the future of computing.
The film is set in the year 2004 and features a protagonist interacting by voice, mouse, and stylus with a 5 feet (1.5 m) . The story concerns an executive at an auto-maker who must make a compelling presentation for her design.
The video predicted the rise of a new technology that would become known as the World Wide Web (board room scene).
Popular Science Magazine reported, in March 2009, that Microsoft had just produced a new video showing life in the year 2019: "The 2019 Microsoft details with this video is almost identical to the 2004 predicted in this video produced by Sun Microsystems in 1992."
In addition to the film, the project also produced:
The film was released as the Starfire video, in NTSC
format, and later made available as part of a collection of human-computer interaction videos.
- It uses similar technology such as multi touch screen.
Corning
's 2011 A Day Made of Glass promotional video has similar elements.
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
promotional video filmed in 1994, demonstrating Bruce Tognazzini
Bruce Tognazzini
Bruce "Tog" Tognazzini is a usability consultant in partnership with Donald Norman and Jakob Nielsen in the Nielsen Norman Group, which specializes in human computer interaction. He was with Apple Computer for fourteen years, then with Sun Microsystems for four years, then WebMD for another four...
's ideas for a 21st-century computer user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
. Inspired in part by Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's Knowledge Navigator
Knowledge Navigator
The Knowledge Navigator is a concept described by former Apple Computer CEO John Sculley in his 1987 book, Odyssey. It describes a device that can access a large networked database of hypertext information, and use software agents to assist searching for information.Apple produced several concept...
film from 1987, Tognazzini and his team at SunSoft sought to create a more realistic look at how computer technology and interfaces would improve. The project drew together the talents of more than 100 engineers, designers, futurists, and filmmakers in an effort to both predict and guide the future of computing.
The film is set in the year 2004 and features a protagonist interacting by voice, mouse, and stylus with a 5 feet (1.5 m) . The story concerns an executive at an auto-maker who must make a compelling presentation for her design.
The video predicted the rise of a new technology that would become known as the World Wide Web (board room scene).
Popular Science Magazine reported, in March 2009, that Microsoft had just produced a new video showing life in the year 2019: "The 2019 Microsoft details with this video is almost identical to the 2004 predicted in this video produced by Sun Microsystems in 1992."
In addition to the film, the project also produced:
- Tog on Software Design, which not only covers the film in intimate detail, but lays out several more equally thought-provoking scenarios, even if they were not enshrined in celluloidCelluloidCelluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, plus dyes and other agents. Generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic, it was first created as Parkesine in 1862 and as Xylonite in 1869, before being registered as Celluloid in 1870. Celluloid is...
. - Starfire, the Paper, published in the CHI Proceedings, outlining the rules followed in attempting to build a scientifically legitimate video prototype, as opposed to simply confabulating a fanciful, but non-implementable, vision.
The film was released as the Starfire video, in NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
format, and later made available as part of a collection of human-computer interaction videos.
See also
Microsoft SurfaceMicrosoft Surface
Microsoft Surface is a multi-touch product from Microsoft which is developed as a software and hardware combination technology that allows a user, or multiple users, to manipulate digital content by the use of gesture recognition. This could involve the motion of hands or physical objects. It was...
- It uses similar technology such as multi touch screen.
Corning
Corning
- Businesses and organizations :* Corning Incorporated* Dow Corning* Owens Corning* Corning Museum of Glass- People :* Edwin Corning , American businessman and politician* Erastus Corning , American businessman and politician...
's 2011 A Day Made of Glass promotional video has similar elements.
External links
- A collection of human-computer interaction videos.
- Bruce Tognazzini's homepage about Starfire, includes the full original video.
- "Future Forward" — a review of Starfire in Wired Magazine issue
- Popular Science Article on Starfire vs. Microsoft3.09 — Street Cred section — author: Will KrethWill KrethWilliam E. "Will" Kreth was the first "official" employee of WIRED magazine, hired by its two founders in 1992. He currently resides in New York City....
.