Graphical user interface

A graphical user interface, or GUI, is a way for people to talk to electronic devices.

Instead of typing long lists of text commands, you use visual things like icons and buttons. These icons are small pictures that represent files or programs. You can also use windows, which are large frames that hold information like an email or a web page. This makes using a computer much easier for everyone. Many people find it simpler than a text-based system. This type of system is often called a desktop environment.

Most personal computers use a style called WIMP. This stands for windows, icons, menus, and a pointing device.

A pointing device is something like a mouse or a touchpad. You move the mouse to move a pointer on your screen. You can then click on menus to see a list of commands. Some modern devices use a different way called post-WIMP. This includes smartphones that use touchscreens. On these devices, you use your fingers to pinch or rotate things. This is a very different way to interact with a screen.

People have been working on these ideas for a long time. In 1963, Ivan Sutherland made a program called Sketchpad. It used a light pen to draw objects on a screen. Later, Douglas Engelbart helped create the mouse in the late 1960s. In the 1970s, researchers at Xerox PARC made huge progress. Alan Kay worked on a system called Smalltalk for the Xerox Alto computer. This computer was released in 1973 and had a GUI. It used windows, menus, and check boxes.

Many famous computers grew from these early ideas. The first computer with a GUI that people could actually buy was the PERQ workstation in 1979. In 1983, Apple released the Lisa, but it was very expensive. Apple later released the Macintosh in 1984, which became very popular. Other companies like Atari and Commodore also made machines with graphical screens in 1985. Microsoft later created Windows, which used ideas from IBM and Xerox. Today, we see these same ideas in macOS and Linux. Even Windows 95 became a huge success with its own big marketing campaign.

GUIs are part of many things you use every day. You can find them on handheld gaming devices and MP3 players. They are also on the touchscreens at restaurants or at self-service checkouts in stores. Some newer cars even use them for navigation and music. Designers work hard on a goal called usability. This means they try to make the interface easy and efficient to use. They use special tools to make sure the visual language fits the task. This helps technology feel like a natural part of our lives.