Graphic User Interfaces

Graphical user Interfaces

A graphic user interface (GUI) is part of the operating system

to make it "user-friendly". It is a main feature of a modern OS, replacing TUIs. It is the interface the person using the computer interacts with the PC, unlike a Command Line Interface (CLI) it user graphic images and text for user interaction. GUI are probably the reason why computers are used by so many people because interface is so easy to understand a person with no experence with a computer could pick it up very fast.

Main features of a GUI:

Curser: A Graphic symbol (an arrow by default in windows) controlled

by the mouse to interact with the interface. this is used Select objects, move them, use commands.

Icons: These can be files or folders the curser will interact with them to perform tasks, such as opening up appications, deleting, copying, etc.

Desktop: This is the environment that user interacts with, normally containing icons which shortcut to to applications.

Windows: A very common feature in a GUI, this splits the screen into sections. Each application will be a different window, this allows the user to switch between aplications with ease.

Menus: Commonly in a GUI it will feature a menu that allows to open applications with the cursor.

Examples of OSs with GUIs:

Mircosft Windows XP

Max OS X

Advantanges of a GUI:

A GUI allows you to do many things that a Command Line Interface does not. It's environment alows for much more information to be on the screen. More than applications on the screen at once and much easier access in the information than a CLI, which only alows one page of information on the screen at one time. A GUI allows for many copys of the same appication to to be run at once this allows for much more efficantcy when dealing with some tasks. Multitasking in a GUI is very easy, as you can view and control many things at once. The Interface is very to use even to a person with very little knowledge on computers, this a huge advantage ove a CLI.

Disadvantages of a GUI:

A GUI will require much more memory than a CLI, many more process are happening at once this take up more