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| Re: ridiculous Prodigy had text and image viewing in the early 90's using it's proprietary software. While not a browser as we have them today, it did permit embedded images as ads and as clickable icons. I believe some processing was done locally, but not as part of any open source or extensible language.
Further, older technology using Windows CMS had formatted controlled screens, which could display images (in color if you could afford it). While largely text based, it was possible to run the Xedit editor (which WAS text based) but to invoke REXX programs (which was an exec language, today it'd be considered a scripting language). Under VM, remote calls to foreign systems were possible with Xedit using IBM's REXX and a facility called IUCV, there were special ICCV messages which could be directly called linking external applications. I used and wrote such a system back in the late 80's, it permitted billing and auditing of applications as batch or interactive plus was used to communicate to schedule airline tickets, it interfaced to the old airline code system through a 3705 modified with X25 support and links to a custom device. I copyrighted and sold code to effect this to 3M back in 1985-7. RSCS had an exec language, and could make remote procedure calls. NCSS had a network which permitted it's database server to make calls across systems. Similarly the older (mid to late 70's) Wylbur and Orvyl systems permitted operation of scripts and very intelligent programs from edit environments. Orvyl was capable of running independent scripts, and could communicate job functions with ASP or HASP to remote systems (permitting a scripted invocation of a remote program, and retrieval of output at a remote host all by script).
Travalmation used the 3M code (and licensed it from me) in the early 90's, this permitted a user at a console controlled by a (believe it or not) Fortran program to invoke a retrieval program in another user which would then make X25 network requests for travel fares and search for the best fit, lowest cost fares obtained from remote systems using the SABRE system. A user would thus be presented a screen, and would invoke a foreign request processed first locally then remotely across an X25 network. Mapping and translation, plus culling and sorting (not to mention caching) or results was done on another remote application before returning results to the customers window.
Automatically invoking generically an application on a remote host was done by NCSS, D&B, American Can, and Perkin Elmer using various techniques under modified VM systems as early as the late 60's.
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