Re: Another term for GUI

["Burns, Nancy" <nburns -at- BREAULT -dot- COM>]

In my opinion, GUI is an internal software design term, something
transparent to users, so why reference it in the documentation or product
name? Our product includes a graphical user interface with the usual
complement of menus, toolbars, dialog boxes, and windows. However, one of
the "windows" is actually a command console where users can enter script
language (that is, commands) at a prompt. Power users tend to be more
comfortable with the scripting language (it's faster to use), whereas new or
infrequent users prefer the GUI features.

I struggled with using the term "GUI" in our documentation, and finally
decided to throw it out in favor of simply using the product name (ASAP)
when referring to the software program. When referring to the scripting
language, I designate the Command Console as the window to use; when
referring to a specific GUI attribute (menu, toolbar, window and so on), I
designate the attribute by name. But as far as users are concerned, it's all
one seamless program. And it's ASAP that I want users to think is helping
them get their work done, not the GUI.

Nancy Burns
Breault Research Organization, Inc.
Tucson, AZ
E-mail: nburns -at- breault -dot- com

-----Original Message-----
From: Kathy Ellis <kathy -at- TIBINC -dot- COM>
Date: Friday, June 05, 1998 8:38 AM


>Anyone know another term for GUI? My company creates software
>that is not exactly bleeding edge stuff. Now that they've decided to
>include things like color and icons to their screens, every product
>is named GUI-This and GUI-That.
>
>In my opinion, the term GUI became obsolete when Microsoft copied
>Apple and wrote Win95. Anyone else feel that it's a dated term?