(Graphical User Interface) A method for interacting with the computer that allows any image to be displayed on screen (graphics based). Although a keyboard is used to enter text, the primary way to command the computer is with a mouse or touchpad pointing device. The mouse or touchpad is used to select icons and menu options and move and resize windows that frame the application and elements within it. The major GUIs are the Windows and Mac interfaces along with CDE/Motif for Unix and the GNOME and KDE interfaces for Linux.
With the advent of Macintosh and Windows personal computers, GUIs became the standard way to operate a computer, replacing the character-based display with a graphics display and eliminating the need to enter cryptic commands in a required sequence. In addition, fonts could be changed and resized on screen, providing a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) capability for creating printed materials. However, all major GUIs still include a command line interface that lets programmers and power users perform common as well as complicated tasks much faster than by clicking menus with a mouse (see
command line). See
NUI,
TUI,
MUI,
drag and drop,
desktop manager,
window manager and
Star. Contrast with
CUI.
The First Commercial GUI
Xerox's Star workstation was the first commercial implementation of the graphical user interface. The Star was introduced in 1981 and was the inspiration for the Mac and all the other GUIs that followed. (Image courtesy of Xerox Corporation.)
The Mac GUI
The top screen shot is an early Mac desktop with "Power Dude" being the name of the hard disk. Look at the difference between the icons, fonts and window borders on the old user interface compared to the Mac OS X window below. (Top screen shot courtesy of Peter Hermsen.)
Early Windows
This was the Windows 2.0 interface in the late 1980s. As rigid as it looks, it was an improvement over Windows 1.0 because it supported resizable windows that could overlap. (Image courtesy of Ian Albert, www.ianalbert.com)
Unix Workstations
The Motif graphical interface was added to the command-line world of Unix workstations in the 1980s. (Screen shot courtesy of The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.)
A Design Revolution
GUIs enabled all kinds of imaginative application interfaces. In this earlier Bryce 3D modeling program, the symbols at the bottom left were camera controls. The large one was the camera trackball, while the other three controlled the x, y and z axes. On top were primitive graphic elements, including an "organic rock generator," fourth from left. (Screen shot courtesy of MetaCreations Corporation.)
Custom Looks for Windows
Stardock's WindowBlinds allows Windows users to have a unique desktop look with hundreds of pre-built designs to choose from. SkinStudio lets the more creative custom design their own look. (Image courtesy of Stardock Corporation, Inc., www.stardock.com)
