- A second strategy for interfacing with the OS is through a user-friendly graphical user interface or GUI. Rather than having users directly enter commands via a command-line interface, a GUI allows provides a mouse-based window-and-menu system as an interface.
- Graphical user interfaces first appeared due in part to research taking place in the early 1970s at Xerox PARC research facility. The first GUI appeared on the Xerox Alto computer in 1973.
- However, graphical interfaces became more widespread with the advent of Apple Macintosh computers in the 1980s.
- Microsoft's first version of Windows -version 1.O- was based upon a GUI interface to the MS-DOS OS.
- Traditionally, UNIX systems have been dominated by command-line interfaces, although there are various GUI interfaces available.
- The choice of whether to use a command-line or GUI interface is mostly one of personal preference. As a very general rule, many UNIX users prefer a command-line interface as they often provide powerful shell interfaces.
- Alternatively, most Windows users are pleased to use the Windows GUI environment and almost never use the MS-DOS shell interface.
Cem Ozdogan
2011-02-14
