Prior to the introduction of AutoCAD, most other CAD programs ran on mainframe computers or minicomputers, with each CAD operator ( user ) working at a graphical terminal or workstation.

Prior to the introduction of the ubiquitous fax machine, one of the first being the Exxon Qwip in the mid-1970s, facsimile machines worked by optical scanning of a document or drawing spinning on a drum.

Prior to the introduction of modern reinforced-soil gravity walls, cantilevered walls were the most common type of taller retaining wall.

Prior to the introduction of the Latin term, incest was known in Old English as sibbleger ( from sibb ' kinship ' + leger ' to lie ') or mǣġhǣmed ( from mǣġ ' kin, parent ' + hǣmed ' sexual intercourse ') but in time, both words fell out of use.

Prior to the introduction of plastics, it was used for billiard balls, piano keys, Scottish bagpipes, buttons and a wide range of ornamental items.

Prior to the introduction of the cannon and ships with sufficient capacity to carry the large guns, navy warfare primarily involved ramming and boarding actions.

Prior to the introduction of PostScript, printers were designed to print character output given the text — typically in ASCII — as input.

Prior to the introduction of pneumatic tires, riding over the large wheel of the " penny-farthing " gave a much smoother ride, which accounts for their popularity.

Prior to the introduction of this new technology, moving image production was only available to the consumer ( or the artist for that matter ) by way of eight or sixteen millimeter film, but did not provide the instant playback that video tape technologies offered.

Prior to the introduction of standard time, each municipality around the civilized world set its official clock, if it had one, according to the local position of the Sun ( see solar time ).

Prior to the introduction of the mechanical cotton gin, cotton had required considerable labor to clean and separate the fibers from the seeds.

Prior to the introduction of specialised video connector standards such as SCART, TVs were designed to only accept signals through the aerial connector: signals originate at a TV station, are transmitted over the air, and are then received by an antenna and fed into the TV.

Prior to the introduction of BS 25999, BCP professionals relied on information security standard BS 7799, which only peripherally addressed BCP to improve an organization's information security procedures.

Prior to the introduction of the 802. 1Q standard, several proprietary protocols existed, such as Cisco's ISL ( Inter-Switch Link ) and 3Com's VLT ( Virtual LAN Trunk ).

Prior to the introduction of a new city charter on June 20, 1984, council members in Windom were referred to as alderpersons.

Prior to the introduction of fibreglass as a construction material, dories were more popular because their ease of assembly and, thereby, lower cost.

Prior to the introduction of inks made with aniline dyes in 1856, the quality of copies made on letter copying presses was limited by the properties of the available copying inks.

Prior to the introduction of the basic chromium species in tanning, several steps are required to produce a tannable hide.

Prior to the introduction of antibiotics, colloidal silver was used as a germicide and disinfectant.

Prior to the introduction of videotape in 1956, kinescopes were the only way to record television broadcasts, or to distribute network television programs that were broadcast live from New York or other originating cities, to stations not connected to the network, or to stations that wished to show a program at a different time than the network broadcast.

Prior to the introduction of the Bulletin Board System ( BBS ), modems typically operated on direct-dial telephone lines that always began and ended with a particular modem at each end.

Prior to the introduction of the term " PDA " by Apple in 1992, handheld personal organizers such as the Sharp Wizard and the Psion Organiser were also referred to as " PIMs ".

Prior to the introduction of Beta Hi-Fi, Sony shifted the Y carrier up by 400 kHz to make room for the four FM carriers that would be needed for Beta Hi-Fi.

Prior to introduction the reborn " TC1 " after a year of road testing received improvements to critical chassis components due to the harsher roads of rural Argentina and a lot of parts were re-selected for ease of availability although most of it still had to be imported from European Ford plants.

Prior to establishment of the Intendant of New France and the Sovereign Council, the Governor shared legislative, executive and judicial powers with the old Council of Quebec, which was established by the royal statues of 1647 and 1648 .< ref >" Jean Talon.

Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showing yoga positions.

Prior to the period of these scriptures, Mahāyāna metaphysics had been dominated by teachings on emptiness in the form of Madhyamaka philosophy.

Prior to the construction of these infrastructures, transbay transportation was dominated by fleets of ferryboats operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Key System transit company.

Prior to this time clan Shinto had dominated and a codification of " Imperial Shinto " did not exist as such.

Prior to the Phanerozoic ( before 544 Ma ), it is believed that microbial or inorganic processes weakly regulated the ocean's silicon cycle .< ref name = grenne03 > Subsequently, the cycle appears dominated ( and more strongly regulated ) by the radiolarians and siliceous sponges, the former as zooplankton, the latter as sedentary filter feeders primarily on the continental shelves.

Prior to the days of such careful planning, “ A typical black-letter page of these Gothic years would show a page in which the lettering was cramped and crowded into a format dominated by huge ornamented capitals that descended from uncial forms or by illustrations .” To prevent such poorly made manuscripts and illuminations from occurring a script was typically supplied first, “ and blank spaces were left for the decoration.

Prior to the Civil War, the landscape was dominated by several large plantations, the remains of which survive as archaeological sites.

Prior to MRP, and before computers dominated industry, reorder-point / reorder-quantity ( ROP / ROQ ) type methods like EOQ ( Economic Order Quantity ) had been used in manufacturing and inventory management.

Prior to the takeover, Menzies ' larger Scottish stores ( carrying a very similar range of products to High Street W H Smith stores elsewhere ) dominated the market, and the latter's presence was minimal.

Prior to Chandragupta's consolidation of power, small regional kingdoms dominated the northwestern subcontinent, while the Nanda Dynasty dominated the middle and lower basin of the Ganges.

Prior to the end of World War II, the Swiss banking landscape was dominated by Swiss Bank Corporation and Credit Suisse.

Prior to the period of these scriptures, Mahayana metaphysics had been dominated by teachings on emptiness in the form of Madhyamaka philosophy.

Prior to the constitutional turmoil of the 1680s, Massachusetts government had been dominated by conservative Puritan secular leaders.

Prior to 1908, several semi-pro and amateur teams dominated the Akron football scene.

Prior to 1917, lectures dominated the circuit chautauqua programs.

Prior to Modell's arrival, the Browns had dominated the NFL and the AAFC, winning seven championships in 17 years.

Prior to that, the lynx dominated, preying on caribou and snowshoe hares.

Prior to Wattana becoming a professional, snooker had been dominated by British ( and to a lesser extent Irish, Canadian and Australian ) players.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the music of Tahiti was dominated by festivals called heiva.

Prior to this, the seat had a long history of representation by Labour MPs, but in the early 1980s the local Labour Party was dominated by the far left.

Prior to the outbreak of World War I, Pathé dominated Europe's market in motion picture cameras and projectors.

Prior to this an advert for Captain Morgan Rum on the Bob Bank roof dominated the ground for many years and it survived despite attempts to paint over it in the early 1980s.

Prior to the building of Orford Castle, Suffolk was dominated by the Bigod family, who held the title of the Earl of Norfolk and owned key castles at Framlingham, Bungay, Walton and Thetford.

Prior to the introduction of this playing surface India and Pakistan dominated field hockey for decades.