16 min read

User Interfaces

Command-line, graphical, touch, menu-driven and voice interfaces — and who each suits best.

Types of User Interface

CLI vs GUI

$Command-line interface$	$Graphical user interface$
$Type copy *.pdf D:\backup once to copy every PDF$	$Select every PDF, drag to the backup folder$
$Very small, fast, runs on servers without a screen$	$Needs a graphics system and more RAM$
$Hard to learn; nothing to click$	$Easy to learn; you can see what is possible$
$Easy to automate (scripts)$	$Hard to automate$

Practice

What does WIMP stand for?

Types of User Interface

CLI vs GUI

$Command-line interface$	$Graphical user interface$
$Type copy *.pdf D:\backup once to copy every PDF$	$Select every PDF, drag to the backup folder$
$Very small, fast, runs on servers without a screen$	$Needs a graphics system and more RAM$
$Hard to learn; nothing to click$	$Easy to learn; you can see what is possible$
$Easy to automate (scripts)$	$Hard to automate$

Practice

What does WIMP stand for?