Over the 10 years that followed the Xerox Star public release, many graphical platforms emerged, including Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh, X11 (started at MIT for UNIX computers), and DRI's GEM (primarily for Atari ST). Though the background of each of these is different, they shared a common ambition to provide a desktop environment that enabled a computer user to interact with multiple graphical applications at the same time.

This was one of the defining characteristics of the emerging Personal Computer (PC) market and it led to a whole new world of computer software:

As PCs became more powerful, advancements in hardware supported more sophisticated software applications. Higher resolution screens allowed the display of more information and removable storage devices (such as floppy disks, CDs, and then USB sticks) enabled transferring larger datasets between applications. What used to commonly be simple interfaces with a few options became more sophisticated and more complicated.

The default graphical interface elements and layouts needed to be extended to keep up. Menus got larger, toolbars were introduced to highlight common tasks, and built-in help systems became necessary to help users achieve their tasks. We also see platforms start to take on their own identity, leading to additional hurdles when learning new software. It was common for an average off-the-shelf software product to come with an instruction manual longer than this book, explaining how to interact with its various features.