GUI - GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

What is a window?

Window is a rectangular portion of the monitor's screen that display its contents like menu, icon, a text file or an image file apparently independent of the res of the display screen .

What is a GUI?

GUI - Graphical User Interface is an environment that can work with the graphical objects and allow the event based interactions with the program

There are 3 GUI elements :

1. The Explorer - manages the GUI 
2. The Task bar - grey bar on the bottom of the window with the icons of active programs, clock, calendar and other utilities. 
3. The Start Menu - A once button approach for accessing programs, help and system settings 

The components of GUI

1. Icons : for representing applications/ programs 
2. Menu : including placement and names of the options and styles 
3. Tiled window : to view multiple windows of programs or data or multiple view of a single program or data block simultaneously 
4. Dialog box : to select an option/ file/ setting. When an option is selected, previous selection will be turned off 
5. Check box : for selection of multiple options as in specifying program or file attributes 
6. Scroll bar : along the edges to show the relative position of the contents such as the beginning or the end of he text or to move to a different position such as another part of a spreadsheet 
7. Support for pointing device typically, a mouse to select and drag screen elements 

Features of GUI

1. It makes the computer operations easier to learn and use. 
2. It allows multi tasking by allowing multiple programs to be displayed simultaneously, resulting in a large increase in flexibility. 
3. Multiple windows can be opened simultaneously 
4. An icon- small picture or symbol, represents applications, program, file, device and drive on the desktop and within application programs 
5. Commands are issued in GUI using a mouse or touch pad or track ball to move the pointer on the screen for selecting objects