Introduction to GUI
GUI is a Graphical Interface that is a visual representation of communication presented to the user for easy interaction with the machine. GUI means Graphical User Interface. It is the common user Interface that includes Graphical representation like buttons and icons, and communication can be performed by interacting with these icons rather than the usual text-based or command-based communication.
Understanding
- A common example of a GUI is Microsoft operating systems.
- Consider using MS-DOS and Windows 7.
- Now the most important revelation is the easiness that Windows 7 brings to the table.
- Windows 7 is the go-to option for a common user without a doubt because it is hard for them to communicate with the machine through commands as in MS-DOS.
- Why Windows 7 is easier to use for a common user? The answer is GUI.
- Yes, GUI helps the user understand the functionalities present within the computer through Graphical icons. A click on the icon initiates the action and the user’s desired communication.
- Thus, GUI provides the functionality by abstracting the hard to understand each component/module’s technical details and provides hassle-free usage of the system.
How Does GUI Work?
The uses of a pointer that serves as navigation to interact with different visually appealing Graphical icons. Abstraction is a major concept that has been used in a GUI operating system. Users can use the pointer to click on the icon, which initiates a series of actions. Normally an application or functionality will get started. Then the user will have to provide input or tasks to generate the desired action from the machine. The GUI actually translates user language, which comprises simple one-line commands, single click and double clicks to machine language or assembly language. The machine understands machine language, and hence the machine responds to the task initiated, which is translated to use language and communicated to the user via GUI.
Examples
- An Example of a GUI screen is as follows.
- If you want to access or start an application in the above screen, say a video player, then all we need is to click the VLC Media player icon using the pointer.
- Double click the icon to open the application.
- This makes the user open a video player like VLC just by the click of a button.
- Now, what if there is no GUI?
- If there is no GUI, we have to open a command prompt and add the application command line Interface and feed instructions to start an application, run the video player, etc.
- This is particularly inconvenient because you have to literally feed-in commands for each and every action.
- But, cut to the chase, and we have GUI. We want to open the VLC Media player. We see the icon. Once we Double click it, the application opens. We can select the file we want and click open. The video starts playing.
- This is how GUI made life simpler in terms of using the computer for normal people who are not an expert in working with computers.
- This is the sole reason why GUI helped in making computers to reach the Masses and made working with computers so much fun.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Below are the advantages and disadvantages of GUI:
Advantages
- Simplicity.
- It is visually appealing and makes anyone to get involved in working with the machine.
- Even a guy with no computer knowledge can use the computer and perform basic functions. GUI is responsible for that.
- Searching becomes very easy as GUI provides a visual representation of files present and provides details about it.
- Each and every response from the computer is visually communicated through GUI.
- A user with no computer knowledge can literally start learning about the machine because of GUI as it provides scope for users to explore and provides discoverability.
- If, for example, a user starts using a computer with no Interface, then he/she has to provide commands to the machine to execute each task. In a way, the user must have some kind of programming knowledge.
Disadvantages
- One can only do what is already pre-programmed by some other developer.
- You cannot change the basic functionality of a system.
- It takes more power for the system to function.
- It is slow compared to simple command-based Interfaces.
- It consumes more memory space.
- GUI may be simple for a consumer but not as simple for the programmers who have to design and implement each and every function and apply abstraction to feel the advantages of GUI.
- If the functionality that the user needs is not present, then the user must know the commands that are necessary to proceed with the flow or else they are just stuck with it at the exact point.
How Does the User Interact with GUI?
1. A user interacts with the GUI through simple functions like click, which triggers the GUI to understand what the user wants and promptly translates it to assembly language, as shown in the image below.
2. Apart from the translation to machine language, GUI helps in displaying the actual process that is being done, the response from the machine, the amount of memory that is being used, the size of the file, the speed of the processor, the power being used by the computer, what are the tasks being performed and many more features.
3. The user uses a single click to select a particular process.
4. Users can double click to start an application.
5. Users can do right-click to know the properties and other details of the application.
6. Users can use the pointer to get information and continue multitasking desired operations.
Why Should We Use GUI?
There are some standards as to how one should use a Graphical User Interface.
- The Visibility and abstraction must be uniform, at least with GUI developed from a single company.
- Each and every GUI has its own features and functions, but the graphic elements and terminology of the system and its architecture must be well maintained.
- A good GUI provides a lot of freedom to users, like backtracking to the last step. Undo features must be present for the user.
- And many more.
As said above, there are a lot of standards and GUI delines for a programmer to design and develop a GUI.
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- The whole effort they put into developing a GUI helps a user simply perform a task like playing a video in just a matter of some clicks.
- Simplicity is why we should definitely use it.
Why Do We Need GUI?
1. One could practically start using a computer using GUI.
2. But, one could actually start to learn and unravel several kinds of options present in the computer.
3. Also, one could also start understanding the computer and its language and get interested in it so much that the person himself could learn or even create a programming language that makes computers and their products even simpler to work within the future.
How will this Technology Help you in Career Growth?
- GUI or Graphical User Interface will definitely help you in your career irrespective of what job you do.
- Anyone whose job requires a computer will require a GUI.
- Developing a GUI will always be a bright prospect for developers at every moment of their career.
- One could learn a programming language like Python, Ruby, Java, Dot Net and many more to develop different types of applications.
Conclusion
Before the start of GUI, there was CLI (Command Line Interface). At that time, no one thought normal people could use a computer. But, now everyone owns a computer and has a basic knowledge of how to use it. That is what GUI achieved. It did not ask more from the user. Instead, it provided more for the user to actually start using the computer. The Information Technology boomed with several jobs offers being presented to the people for designing and developing GUI. Future languages have adapted itself and are being used to develop the GUI. It will always have the eternal scope in the job market, and GUI will continue to improve and update itself into a more usable and simpler user interface and change the world as it has already done in the past.
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