In computing,[1] graphical user interface (GUI, sometimes pronounced 'gooey')[2] is a type of user interface that allows users to interact

with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notation, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation. GUIs were introduced in reaction to the perceived steep learning curve of command-line interfaces (CLI),[3][4][4] which require commands to be typed on the keyboard. The actions in GUI are usually performed through direct manipulation of the graphical elements.[5] Besides in computers, GUIs can be found in hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players, gaming devices, household appliances, office, and industry equipment. The term GUI is usually not applied to other low-resolution types of interfaces with display resolutions, such as video games (where HUD[6] is preferred), or not restricted to flat screens, like volumetric displays[7] because the term is restricted to the scope of two-dimensional display screens able to describe generic information, in the tradition of the computer science research at the PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) A command-line interface (CLI), also known as command-line user interface, console user interface,[1] and character user interface (CUI), is a means of interacting with a computer program where the user (or client) issues commands to the program in the form of successive lines of text (command lines). The CLI was the primary means of interaction with most popular operating systems in the 1970s and 1980s, including MS-DOS, CP/M, Unix, and Apple DOS. The interface is usually implemented with a command line shell, which is a program that accepts commands as text input and converts commands to appropriate operating system functions. Command-line interfaces to computer operating systems are less widely used by casual computer users, who favor graphical user interfaces. Command-line interfaces are often preferred by more advanced computer users, as they often provide a more concise and powerful means to control a program or operating system. Programs with command-line interfaces are generally easier to automate via scripting. Alternatives to the command line include, but are not limited to menus (see IBM AIX SMIT for example), keyboard shortcuts, and various other desktop metaphors centered on the pointer (usually controlled with a mouse). Advantages of GUI include: -You can create a more rich, and intuitive interface than is possible with CLI. -Most lay users will have a smaller learning curve using a GUI. -Complex, multi-step, dependent tasks can easily be grouped together in a way that discourages mistakes. -Ability to embed media

Disadvantages of GUI include: -Bloated software can waste memory, and reduce the performance of an application. -Sometimes it is more difficult to allow for advanced/power options in an "intuitive" GUI interface, than it is with a CLI. -Scripting a GUI interaction is not easily done unless it is just a set of repetitive tasks that don't require a lot of feedback, or actually testing the GUI.

Advantages of CLI: -Most folks that have computer technology as a career are familiar with using this interface, especially if they have a *nix background. -Requires a lower threshold for the interface. This means that a relatively simple program like telnet (available almost on all machines) is all you need to interface via CLI. -Easy to integrate with scripting, and other programmatic interfaces. -They can be quite powerful in the right hands. Piping multiple commands together, parsing feedback, etc. -Many of the most common CLI executables in the *nix world are consistently ported, so there is a lot of consistency across systems.

Disadvantages of CLI: -Not intuitive, especially to a lay user. -No media. -Complex combinations can be difficult to remember, and slower to type (but that is on a task by task basis, as often you can perform tasks faster with CLI)