As far as I can piece together, Casey Muratori first described the approach in an early YouTube video in 2005: https://youtu.be/Z1qyvQsjK5Y
The basic approach certainly existed far earlier, though. Early "graphical" command line applications, for example, most likely all took an immediate mode approach. It's just that no one thought it was worth making the distinction until after living through the hell that is retained mode GUI programming.
In a way, React (along with other vdom-based GUI frameworks) is another rediscovery of immediate mode GUI techniques, but with more of a functional (reactive) programming influence.
The basic approach certainly existed far earlier, though. Early "graphical" command line applications, for example, most likely all took an immediate mode approach. It's just that no one thought it was worth making the distinction until after living through the hell that is retained mode GUI programming.
In a way, React (along with other vdom-based GUI frameworks) is another rediscovery of immediate mode GUI techniques, but with more of a functional (reactive) programming influence.