Jason and Sarah C. **GUI**

Sarah and I were asked to research GUIs (Graphical User Interface) and discuss their importance and their practical uses.

Commonly associated with GUIs are the three major operating systems, however, a large portion of interactive systems involve some sort of GUI. While not as flashy as a proper OS, things such as vending machines, digital watches, and countless other systems rely on having an interface that allows the machine to interpret a person's input and vice versa.

Gaining more popularity, especially with advancements in technology, mobile phones have become a huge success, largely in part to added functionality as well as an easy to use system.

Ease of use is by far one of the most important component when constructing an interface. As a lot of these electronics are made for a mass consumer market, having an intuitive system generally means increased sales and an increase in product sales.

In terms of computers, there are the three main operating systems: Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Mac is an extremely stable OS that garnered much of its success from having an easy to use GUI, which was used to mask the inner codes and scripts that allow for the system to run. By disallowing a great deal of options and settings, they created a system that gave users fewer ways to harm the OS. Because of this, Apple has been extremely successful in offering a line of computers that are both functional and stable, but it comes at the expense of customization.

Windows, though less reliable and more prone to fatal errors, exceeds Apple when it comes to giving its' user base more options. However due to the expanded freedom, there is more room for problems to arise. While this is not necessarily a frequent problem with Windows users, these problems are inevitably adding to some people's distrust of electronics. Recently Microsoft has been going to great lengths to redesign their OS and make it more user-friendly and stable, while also attempting to maintain their higher level of customizability.

Unlike the other major operating systems, Linux is an open-source project that is free to the public and generally relies on the public's support and help to expand. As stable and as customizable as it is, Linux lacks a major component that Windows and Mac users have come to expect: ease of use. Though Linux was designed to be stable, the amount of knowledge needed to proficiently use the system is one of its larger drawbacks. Another challenge Linux users face is the lack of programs and drivers for their computers. While the Linux community constantly tackles these problems, it is still not a simple enough solution for those without much computer knowledge. However, while it has its flaws, it does have a huge advantage by being the only major OS in which you can fully personalize your GUI.

While each OS has their own pros and cons, their differences can be seen as largely stemming from differing approaches on how to create an effective GUI. It is hard to say that one GUI is better than the other, but it is more a matter of relativity. If I am not proficient with computers, I would personally lean towards using Windows or Mac, however, if I were knowledgeable with computers, I may chose to take control of my computer and design it in the way that best suits me. There will never be a perfect GUI that works for every individual, but the ones that seem to do best are the ones that people can readily consume.

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