Graphical user interface: Difference between revisions

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A '''graphical user interface''' (or '''GUI''', often pronounced "goo-ee") is a method of [[human-computer interaction|interacting with a computer]] through a metaphor of direct manipulation of graphical images and widgets in addition to text.

The graphical user interface was invented at [[Xerox PARC]] for the [[Xerox Alto]] [[computer]] and most modern general purpose GUIs are derived from it. (Some say GUIs were conceptualized by [[Douglas Engelbart|Doug Engelbart]] and first created by Xerox.) For this reason some people call this class of interface a PARC User Interface (PUI). The PUI consists of graphical [[widget]]s such as [[window (computing)|windows]], [[menu (computing)|menu]]s, [[radio button (computing)|radio button]]s, [[radiocheck box]]es, and [[icon (computing)|icon]]s, and employs a [[pointing device]] (such as mouse, trackball, or touchscreen) in addition to a keyboard. For this reason, many people refer to PUIs as WIMPs (Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pointer). Widgets are often provided in the form of [[widget toolkit]] libraries.

Examples of systems that support PUIs are [[Mac OS]], [[Microsoft Windows]], [[NextStep]] and the [[X Window System]]. The latter is extended with toolkits such as [[Motif (widget toolkit)|Motif]] ([[CDE]]), [[Qt]] ([[KDE]]), [[GTK]]+ and ([[GNOME]]).