I accept there’s a difference, I just point out it’s not a difference that matters when you’re talking about whether or not a gadget is new. It’s like the difference between 3 on the tree and 4 on the floor, yes they’re different, but they’re both still stick shift cars. A smartphone with a touchscreen and a smartphone with a multi-touchscreen are still both smartphones with touchscreens.
And I wasn’t comparing DesqView to a “modern” GUI, I was comparing it to a clunky black and white GUI from the same era that was actually dramatically worse.
See that’s the problem with you guys, you always have to lie about what the other person said.
It's more like the difference between a three-speed manual without synchromesh and an automatic. The difference in usability, and appeal to a wide audience, is massive.
Since you're using an endlessly reductionist definition of what is "new," I'll ask you: Has anyone created anything new in computing or consumer electronics in the last twenty years?