Introduction
In 1984 the Apple Corporation ran a series of advertisements for their Macintosh computer. The central tenet to these was that using a computer before the Macintosh required specialist knowledge of complex text commands. The difference with the Macintosh was that it had a Graphical User Interface (GUI). Apple's belief was that this technology made the Macintosh the computer "For the rest of us". The GUI was so easy to learn and use that "If you can point, you can use a Macintosh". This ease of use of the GUI helped to fuel the growth of the PC market. This document sets out to explore some of the reasons behind this.
Metaphors, Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointers
A process known as bitmapping enables the creation of images on a computer display. This image creation capability allows the use of Graphical User Interfaces. The GUI makes use of icons, graphic images representing commands or applications. It also introduced the concept of metaphors. One metaphor is the computer desktop. The GUI places icons representing familiar items on the desktop window. A rubbish bin, files, folders and a calculator are a few examples. The user targets these icons using a mouse, a device that can be used to move a pointer around the screen. The user selects and activates the application or command desired by positioning the pointer over the relevant icon and "clicking" a mouse button.
The Macintosh GUI Effect
The GUI was enhanced by the development of the LaserWriter printer and Aldus PageMaker creating desktop publishing. Desktop publishing enabled the GUI to present documents in a format that took advantage of the WYSIWYG principle. (What You See Is What You Get) This principle allowed users to be able to view on the screen the documents they created as a graphic image. An example is a word processing application such as Microsoft's Word. The workspace is an image of a document, a metaphor representing a piece of paper to be written on. Features of the applications enabled users to easily alter the appearance of their documents. The documents could then be printed.
Following the leader
Companies such as Microsoft saw the earnings potential behind the GUI's ease of use. They quickly developed their own GUI systems. Microsoft Windows is now one of the most popular GUI's.
Command line devotees
Some people prefer command line interfaces. These can be faster and more efficient for the experienced user. For example, understanding MS-DOS requires specialist knowledge of computer operating systems. Something the GUI user does not need.
Conclusion
The principal advantage with using the GUI is the user had no need to remember complex command line entries. Desktop publishing enabled document layout and design. Ordinary computer users could format document layouts and print professional looking documents. The conclusion would appear to be that the GUI, with its easily recognisable icons and metaphors, seems to be a simpler way to interact with the computer, particularly for non-computer specialists. This simplicity made personal computers more popular with ordinary users.
References
- Macobserver.com For the Macintosh advertising campaign images. 28/9/01
- Webopedia.com For the definitions included. 28/9/01
- Inventors.about.com For the influence on Microsoft of the GUI. 28/9/01
- Inventors.about.com History of Apple and influence of DTP applications. 28/9/01
- Web Aces of the University of Illinois Understanding MS-DOS. 28/9/01
