1970's: The First Generation A Tool-Centric view of CAD
Single tools were the focus (Spice, DRC, CVS, etc.).
Task-specific formats evolving to point standards (CIF, Stream, Spice, TDL) by the end of the decade.
Character-based I/O for the most part
Vector-oriented graphical user interfaces: layout “outlines”, leading to “stick-diagrams”