ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of computer icons

Alright kiddo, do you know what an icon is? It's a small picture that represents something else. For example, a picture of a book on your computer screen might be an icon for a program that opens books to read.

The first computers didn't have icons, they used text to communicate with the user. But around the 1970s, people started developing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for computers, which allowed users to interact with the computer using pictures instead of just text.

The first computer icons were simple pictures, called "pictograms," that represented different functions on the computer, like opening a document or starting a program.

Over time, the icons became more detailed and colorful. In the 1980s and 1990s, icons started to be designed with a more 3D look, which made them appear more realistic.

Today, icons are an important part of our daily lives as we interact with technology. They are used in all modern electronic devices, from smartphones to laptops to smartwatches. Now you know, icons have come a long way from the simple pictograms of the past.