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Chapter 3. Software |  |
| Graphical User Interface | ||
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Chapter 3. Software | |
Abstract
Understand the term Graphical User Interface (GUI).
A graphical user interface or GUI is designed to simplify the work of the user whether they are using the operating system or an application package. The interface consists of a screen with a number of icons or menus. Functions are executed by pointing and clicking with the mouse.
Some of the advantages of using a GUI are:
Less work for the user. To execute a function all you have to do is point and click on an icon instead of typing out an instruction.
Quicker to learn.
Easy access to the basic functionality of the operating system or application package.
Hides the underlying complexity from the user.
Simplifies and integrates multitasking. Multitasking refers to using several applications at the same time. Opening a new application or document involves a couple of mouse clicks. Likewise switching between tasks also involves only a couple of mouse clicks.
There are some disadvantages to using a GUI based operating system.
Not all the functionality is available. The icon represents the most commonly used form of a function. A text based system gives you access to all the options associated with a function. Power users tend to switch between the GUI and the system prompt as needed.
Being graphics based, a GUI runs more slowly than a text based system. However, with the power and speed of modern computers this is not the problem it once was.
The following screens illustrate a GUI in Linux and Windows.
The following two screens illustrate the use of menus:
In each case, clicking on an icon will either execute a function or display another set of icons containing the function.
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Systems Development |
