| | | | Graphical User Interface. Now the standard means of communication between user and operating system/programme on a computer. GUIs have all but taken over from textual command line interfaces (CLI), with Windows and Mac being the most common examples although the first instance of the use of a GUI dates back to research by Xerox in the 1970s with the first commercial application being seen in the Xerox Star Workstation in 1981. As the name suggests, GUIs employ graphical devices such as windows, mouse pointers, buttons, tick boxes and icons rather than just commands entered as characters typed from the keyboard in order to interface with the user. Whilst the latter does allow for complex instructions and operations to be performed efficiently once the command language is mastered, the learning curve can be a difficult one. Bridging the the two systems were a number of menu-driven text-based interfaces - text user interfaces or TUIs - that allow the mouse to be used to select text commands rather than the keyboard only. Major advantages of GUIs include: i) the ability to move and resize windows, ii) the ability to easily switch between applications, iii) the ease with which data can be moved from one application to another due to the standard formats used by a true GUI for representing text and graphics, iv) a much more intuitive way of working, making computer use more accessible even to end/home-users with little or no formal training. Modern GUIs also allow for a great deal of customisation by the user - some of this flexibility can be used to increase productivity - for example by the judicious use of short-cuts, menu modifications and so forth - while it may be used simply to "skin" the GUI with the user's favourite theme or colours. | | | |
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