The WIMP (computing) reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

WIMP (computing)

In human-computer interaction, WIMP stands for the "window, icon, menu, pointing device" paradigm that characterizes most commercial graphical user interfaces from 1984 to the present. It was developed at the Xerox Parc. See History of the graphical user interface.

In popular speech in North America the term "wimp" was commonly used to designate persons of no substance who were always afraid, or persons who had no backbone and were worthy of nothing but contempt. This usage was common before the advent of the graphical user interface. As a result of this, the term-acronym WIMP was often used to denigrate the graphical user interface. Its presence in a discussion of the graphical user interface can be interpreted (rightly or wrongly) to indicate that its user has a very low opinion of said interfaces, or even some form of contempt. Thus, the term should be used with great care.

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