Difference between revisions of "Graphical user interface"
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| − | The '''graphical user interface''' (often referred to as a '''GUI'''), now the almost universal form of [[user interface]] to computing devices, is based on images, now displayed on a [[bit-mapped display]], but initially with [[vector graphics]] on a [[cathode ray tube|CRT]]. | + | The '''graphical user interface''' (often referred to as a '''GUI'''; also occasionally known as '''WIMP''', from its constituents - windows, icons, menus, and pointer), now the almost universal form of [[user interface]] to computing devices, is based on images, now displayed on a [[bit-mapped display]], but initially with [[vector graphics]] on a [[cathode ray tube|CRT]]. |
The user interacts with the [[operating system]] and [[application]]s with a pointing input device, which is the main input form (although the [[keyboard]] is still used). The first pointing device was the [[light pen]]; then came the [[mouse]], and now the [[touch-pad]]. Recently, the pointing device has been used to supplant the keyboard in some systems, by means of [[hand-writing recognition]]. | The user interacts with the [[operating system]] and [[application]]s with a pointing input device, which is the main input form (although the [[keyboard]] is still used). The first pointing device was the [[light pen]]; then came the [[mouse]], and now the [[touch-pad]]. Recently, the pointing device has been used to supplant the keyboard in some systems, by means of [[hand-writing recognition]]. | ||
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* [https://spectrum.ieee.org/graphical-user-interface How the Graphical User Interface was Invented] | * [https://spectrum.ieee.org/graphical-user-interface How the Graphical User Interface was Invented] | ||
| + | <!-- https://spectrum.ieee.org/graphical-user-interface/the-gui-started-with-sketchpad How the Graphical User Interface was Invented --> | ||
[[Category: Computer Basics]] | [[Category: Computer Basics]] | ||
Latest revision as of 13:50, 18 November 2024
The graphical user interface (often referred to as a GUI; also occasionally known as WIMP, from its constituents - windows, icons, menus, and pointer), now the almost universal form of user interface to computing devices, is based on images, now displayed on a bit-mapped display, but initially with vector graphics on a CRT.
The user interacts with the operating system and applications with a pointing input device, which is the main input form (although the keyboard is still used). The first pointing device was the light pen; then came the mouse, and now the touch-pad. Recently, the pointing device has been used to supplant the keyboard in some systems, by means of hand-writing recognition.
History
The first GUI was associated with the SAGE air defense system; its precursor, Whirlwind, hosted the genesis of the light pen (there called a 'light gun').
The next steps were taken by Douglas Engelbart of the Augmentation Research Center at the Stanford Research Institute. That work was then taken up at the nearby Xerox PARC, with the ground-breaking Xerox Alto project, the first personal computer of modern form.
Work at PARC introduced the window concept, to allow multiple simultaneous applications to share the screen. A number of companies, including Apple and Microsoft, then produced products based on PARC's work, which popularized the concept.
