> Anyone ever do this?  A VERY SIMPLE GUI on an LCD with a 17C44?  I don't
> know where to begin; I'm just curious if it has been done with any degree
> of complexity.

Well, the first question I'd have would be what exactly you wish this
"gui" to do; the second question would be what type of display you'll be
using (dumb [you supply refresh and serial data in real-time], semi-smart
[screen will buffer pixel data but PIC must draw any lines, boxes,
characters, etc.], or smart [PIC simply gives the screen graphics commands
and the LCD controller does them].

If you are using a semi-smart or smart display and you can establish fixed
formats for all your windowing, a pseudo-GUI should not pose a problem.
If you wish to allow users to arbitrarily move and re-order windows, and
if partially-buried windows can be updated, then things are much more
difficult.