USER INTERFACE

USER INTERFACE

1. Command line interfaces(CLI) are text based and work by the user entering specific commands.

   • disadvantages
     • Commands have to be typed precisely. If there is a spelling error the command will fail
     • If you mis-type an instruction, it is often necessary to start from scratch again
     • There are a large number of commands which need to be learned
     • For someone who has never used a CLI, it can be very confusing
   • advantages
     • This type of interface does not use as much CPU processing time as others
     • This type of interface needs much less memory (RAM)
     • A low resolution, cheaper monitor can be used with this type of interface
     • If the user knows the correct commands then this type of interface can be much faster than any other type of interface
     • A CLI does not require Windows to run

2. Graphical User Interfaces(GUI) are visual and interactive (e.g. touch screen, mouse click)

   • advantages
     • Easy and user-friendly
     • Visually appealing design
     • Searching for documents and files is easy thanks to the visual display
     • The system responds to instructions that the user can enter intuitively thanks to the visual format
     • Users can quickly and easily navigate to and from multiple applications
     • Even users with little technical knowledge can run simple applications with a GUI
   • disadvantages
     • GUIs are slower than interfaces based only on command lines
     • GUIs need a relatively high amount of storage space in the system
     • Less flexibility: only pre-programmed instructions can be executed
     • It’s comparably difficult for the developers to create an intuitive GUI
     • Some commands take longer to be executed
     • System functionality cannot be adjusted or adapted