GUI in Windows Technology
INTRODUCTION:
GUI is abbreviated as Graphical User Interface which allows the user to interact with electronic device. Implementation of GUI in windows makes windows user friendly. First GUI in windows technology was introduced in windows 1.0. Later on many enhanced features such as pointer, pointing device, multiple windows were implemented in windows to enhance its technology.
WHAT IS GUI?
GUI – Graphical user interface is a type of user interface which allows people to interact with electronic devices such as computers; hand-held devices such as MP3 Players, Portable Media Players or Gaming devices; household appliances and office equipment with images rather than text commands.
A GUI is a type of human-computer interface that uses windows, icons, pull-down menus and a pointer and that can be manipulated by a mouse (and usually to some extent by a keyboard as well).
It offers graphical icons and visual indicators, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation to fully represent the information and actions available to a user.
The actions are usually performed through direct manipulation of the graphical elements.
The GUI represents a major advance over the (CLI) of the console, which displays only text (i.e., no images) and is accessed only by a keyboard.
It has made computers much easier to learn and work with, and it has also led to the development of major new applications for them, including desktop publishing and CAD
GUI IN WINDOWS:
Windows was the first commercially available GUI Operating System from Microsoft founded by Bill Gates. Microsoft announced that it was developing a GUI personal computer in November, 1983. The initial version, dubbed Microsoft Windows 1.0 and released in November 1985, made use of windows, although they were not overlapping and there were no icons. The much-improved Windows 2.0, which was released two years later, incorporated icons and had windows that could overlap. Today windows are used by most computer operating systems.
FEATURES OF GUI
A major advantage of GUIs is that they make computer operation more easier to learn and use. For example, it is much easier for a new user to move a file from one directory to another by dragging its icon with the mouse than by having to remember and type seemingly arcane commands to accomplish the same task.
It provide users with immediate, visual feedback about the effect of each action. For example, when a user deletes an icon representing a file, the icon immediately disappears, confirming that the file has been deleted (or at least sent to the trash can). This contrasts with the situation for a CLI, in which the user types a delete command (inclusive of the name of the file to be deleted) but receives no automatic feedback indicating that the file has actually been removed.
GUI in Microsoft windows contains the following features,
POINTER -A symbol that appears on the display screen and that you move to select objects and commands. Usually, the pointer appears as a small angled arrow. POINTING DEVICE – A device such as a mouse or trackball that enables you to select objects on the display screen. ICONS – Small pictures that represent commands, files or windows. By moving the pointer to the icon and pressing a mouse button you can execute a command or convert the icon into window .You can also move the icons around the display screen as if they were real objects on your desk. DESKTOP – The area on the display screen where icons are grouped is often referred to as the desktop because the icons are intended to represent real objects on a real desktop. WINDOWS – You can divide the screen into different areas. In each window, you can run a different program or display a different file. You can move windows around the display screen, and change their shape and size at will. MENUS – Most graphical user interfaces let you execute commands by selecting a choice from a menu.
FLEXIBLITY OF WINDOWS
A major feature of windows is the ability to be manipulated easily and intuitively(i.e., with little or no instruction) even by inexperienced users. The ways in which they can be manipulated usually include
Opening (such as by clicking on an icon and starting an application program) and closing. Moving to any area of the screen by dragging (i.e., moving by placing the pointer over the window and moving the mouse with a button held down). Repositioning so that they appear to be behind or in front of other windows or objects on the screen. Adjusting size (i.e., horizontal and/or vertical dimensions). Scrolling to any section of the window contents (by using scroll bars along the bottom and right edges, the mouse wheel or keyboard commands).
The size of most windows can be adjusted over a wide range including full screen, a fraction of the screen and more than the full screen. In the latter case, the desired section of the window can be viewed by moving the window to expose it. Windows can also be minimized, which results in their being replaced by an icon and/or their name, usually in a strip along the bottom of the screen, without actually closing the underlying application program.
MULTIPLE WINDOWS
Another major feature of windows is the ability for multiple windows to be open simultaneously. This is particularly valuable in a multitasking environment. Each window can display a different application, or it can display different files that have been opened or created with a single application (e.g., text, image or spreadsheet files).
Moreover, there is a great deal of flexibility with regard to how multiple open windows can be arranged with respect to each other. They can be arranged so that they are contiguous and do not overlap (tiled windows) or so they do overlap (overlaid windows).
Overlaid windows resemble a stack of documents lying on top of one another (part of the desktop metaphor that characterizes most GUIs at present), and only the upper-most window is displayed in full.
Any window can be moved to the top of the stack and made the active window by positioning the pointer in any portion of it that is visible and clicking a mouse button.When most GUI programs are launched, they open in a single window.
SPECIALIZED WINDOWS
There are various type of windows, and their functions and appearances can vary substantially. For example, a browser is a specialized type of window that has additional functionality, including the ability for the user to move forward or backward through a sequence of documents (i.e., web pages). The more advanced browsers (e.g., Mozilla and Opera) have also incorporated the tabbed concept that had earlier been developed for windows for other applications.
Child windows are windows that are opened either automatically or as a result of some user activity when using a parent window. They can range in functionality from the very simple to the full complement of controls.
Message windows, also referred to as dialog boxes or pop-up messages are a type of child window. A dialog box is usually a small and very basic window that is opened by a program or by the operating system to provide information to the user and/or obtain information (or at least a response) from the user, including setting options or issuing commands. They usually lack most of the functionality of the more general types of windows (e.g., the ability to scroll) and in some cases have buttons that must be pushed before other computer functions or programs can be resumed.
GUI IN WINDOWS DEVELOPMENT
WINDOWS 1.0 (RELEASED IN 1985)
The first version of Windows provided a new software environment for developing and running applications that use bitmap displays and mouse pointing devices. Before Windows, PC users relied on the MS-DOS method of typing commands at the C prompt (C:\). With Windows, users moved a mouse to point and click their way through tasks, such as starting applications.
In addition, Windows users could switch among several concurrently running applications. The product included a set of desktop applications, including the MS-DOS file management program, a calendar, card file, notepad, calculator, clock, and telecommunications programs, which helped users manage day-to-day activities.
WINDOWS 2.0 (RELEASED IN 1987)
Windows 2.0 was a 16 bit Microsoft GUI based operating environment that superseded windows 1.0Windows 2.0 also introduced more sophisticated keyboard-shortcuts and the terminology of “Minimize” and “Maximize”, as opposed to “Iconize” and “Zoom” in Windows 1.0.
In this version, the actual management of the windows had significantly improved. The windows could be overlapped, resized, maximized and minimized.
WINDOWS 3.0 (RELEASED IN 1990)
By this version, Microsoft had realized the real potential in GUI’s and started to significantly improve them. The operating system itself supported standard and 386 enhanced modes, which made use of higher memory capacity than 640 KB and hard disk space, resulting in the ability to use higher screen resolutions and better graphics, such as Super VGA 800×600 and 1024×768.
WINDOWS 3.1 (RELEASED IN 1992)
This version of Windows included TrueType fonts which were pre-installed. This effectively made Windows a functional desktop publishing platform for the first time.
Previously, it was only possible to achieve such functionality in Windows 3.0 using the Adobe Type Manager (ATM) font system from Adobe. This version also contained a color scheme named Hotdog Stand, which contained bright hues of red, yellow and black. This color scheme was designed to help people with some degree of color blindness see text/graphics on the screen easier.
WINDOWS 95(RELEASED IN 1995)
The user interface was completely re-designed since version 3.x. This was the first Windows version where a small close button was added to each window.
The design team gave states (enabled, disabled, selected, checked, etc.) to icons and other graphics. The famous START button appeared for the first time. This was a huge step forward for Microsoft regarding the operating system itself and the unified GUI.
WINDOWS 98 (RELEASED IN 1998)
The icon styles were almost the same as in Windows 95, but the whole GUI could use more than 256 colors for rendering. Windows Explorer changed almost completely and the “Active Desktop” appeared for the first time.
WINDOWS XP (RELEASED IN 2001)
As Microsoft tends to change their GUI completely with every major operating system release, Windows XP was no exception. The GUI itself is skinnable, users could change the whole look and feel of the interface. The icons were 48 x 48 in size by default, rendered in millions of colors.
2007-2009 (CURRENT)
WINDOWS VISTA (RELEASED IN 2007)
This was Microsoft’s response to their competition. They also included quite a lot of 3D and animation. Since Windows 98, Microsoft has always tried to improve the desktop. With Windows Vista they released widgets and a somewhat improved replacement of the Active Desktop.
WINDOWS 7 (NEW RELEASE)
The most noticeable GUI change is the task bar which has dropped text labels for running apps in favor of bigger icons. Right-clicking summons up not only the usual restore/minimize/etc. options but shortcuts to key functionality in that app, and while in Vista a preview thumbnail pops up when you hover over the app’s button, in Windows 7 all the apps on the desktop go transparent so you can see that program.
Gadgets have been released from their sidebar to roam freely across the desktop, useful for those with limited screen real-estate, but multiple monitor support has also been streamlined for users with the opposite problem
Controls such as the taskbar and Start menu can be set to larger, finger-friendly sizes, but it’s still not the complete, ink-enabled environment we might have hoped for. Like Vista and XP, the inking tools seem added in rather than integrated.
CONCLUSION:
Windows technology is continuing to advance. One major area of interest is in giving windows the ability to be easily rotated and manipulated in three dimensions. This includes creating the illusion of peeling away windows that are layered on top of other windows.
Another, probably more useful, function for windows would be the ability for users to easily merge them so that two images or columns of text can be joined just by moving the windows to the appropriate locations and issuing simple mouse or keyboard commands. Likewise, it would be useful if users had simple techniques for cutting windows (and their contents) into multiple windows.
