The document discusses different types of user interfaces for operating systems, including command line interfaces, menu-driven interfaces, and graphical user interfaces. It describes the advantages and disadvantages of each type, and provides examples of specific interfaces like DOS batch files, UNIX shell scripts, Windows, Linux KDE, and Macintosh interfaces. The document also covers concepts like command languages, X-Windows, and duocentric interfaces.

1. Chapter 14
The User View of Operating Systems
The Architecture of Computer Hardware
and Systems Software:
An Information Technology Approach
3rd Edition, Irv Englander
John Wiley and Sons ©2003
Wilson Wong, Bentley College
Linda Senne, Bentley College

2. Chapter 14 14-2
User Interface
 Help the user use the computer system
productively
 Provide consistent user interface
services to application programs to
lower learning curves and increase
productivity
 Choice of user interface depends on the
kind of user
 Writing programs vs. running applications

3. Chapter 14 14-3
User Functions
 Program execution
 File commands
 Mount and unmount devices
 Printer spooling
 Security
 Inter-user communication
 System Status
 Program Services
 DCOM, CORBA, Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

4. Chapter 14 14-4
Interface Design
 CLI - Command Line Interface
 Batch System Commands
 Menu-Driven Interfaces
 GUI - Graphical User Interface

5. Chapter 14 14-5
Command Line Interface
 command <operand1> <operand2> …
<switch1> <switch2> …
 Operands
 keyword (switches) and/or positional
 Advantages
 More flexible and powerful
 Faster for experienced users
 Can combine commands

6. Chapter 14 14-6
Command Line Interfaces

7. Chapter 14 14-7
Command Languages
 Provide a mechanism to combine sequences of
commands together. These pseudo-programs are
known as scripts or batch files.
 Startup files – OS configuration, user preferences
 Features of Command Languages
 Can accept input from the user and can output messages to
I/O devices
 Provide ability to create and manipulate variables
 Include the ability to branch and loop
 Ability to specify arguments to the program command and to
transfer those arguments to variables within the program
 Provide error detection and recovery

8. Chapter 14 14-8
DOS Batch File

9. Chapter 14 14-9
UNIX Shell Script

10. Chapter 14 14-10
Menu-Driven Interface
 No need to memorize commands
 All available commands are listed
 Menus can be nested
 Low data requirements
 Still used in many ATM and Point-of-
Sale systems

11. Chapter 14 14-11
Menu Driven Interface

12. Chapter 14 14-12
Windows Interfaces
 Also known as Graphical User
Interfaces (GUIs)
 Mouse-driven and icon-based
 Windows
 Are allocated to the use of a particular
program or process
 Contain a title bar, menu bar, and widgets

13. Chapter 14 14-13
GUI Interface – Windows XP

14. Chapter 14 14-14
GUI Interface – Linux KDE

15. Chapter 14 14-15
GUI Interface - MacIntosh

16. Chapter 14 14-16
GUI vs. CLI
GUI
 Advantages
 Easy to learn and use
 Little training
 Amenable to multi-tasking
 Disadvantages
 Harder to implement
 More HW/SW requirements
 Requires lots of memory
 SW is complex and difficult
to write
CLI
 Advantages
 More flexible and powerful
 Faster for experienced
users
 Can combine commands
 Disadvantages
 More difficult to learn and
use

17. Chapter 14 14-17
X-Windows

18. Chapter 14 14-18
Duocentric Interface
 Focus on the document rather than the
application being executed
 Expand role of OS by moving
capabilities from the application to
system services
 Example: click on document to run
program
 Effort to assure that every application
program responds in similar ways to user
actions.

19. Chapter 14 14-19
Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons
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