GLOSSARY: GUI
A GUI (pronounced GOO-ee) is a graphical user interface. We use them with almost all computer systems these days. Before the GUI was invented, the way to interact with computer systems was through cryptic commands that were difficult for the ordinary user to remember or even understand. A GUI made life much easier, enabling people to use features like the dragging and dropping of objects with a mouse rather than enter text commands. A GUI takes advantage of the computer's graphics capabilities and memory capacity to make it easier for the user to interact with the computer program. Well-designed GUIs can free the user from having to learn complex command terms (see CLI) and makes interaction with the computer a multisensory experience by using pleasing images, sound and colour.
Graphical user interfaces make use of some or all the following basic components: