Faculdades Hoyler Curso de Sistemas de Informao

Ingls Instrumental I

Copyright Cambridge University Press (Permission to copy for use in class)

5

Leia o texto e complete o glossrio abaixo com as palavras destacadas no texto:

The term user interface refers to the standard procedures the user follows to interact with a particular computer. A few years ago the way in which users had access to a a computer system was quite complex. They had to memorize and type a lot of commands just to see the content of a disk, to copy files or to respond to a single prompt. I fact, only experts used computers, so there was no need for a user-friendly interface. Now, however computers are used by all kinds of people and as a result there is a growing emphasis on the user interface.

A good user interface is important because when you buy a program you want to use it easily. Moreover, a graphical user interface saves a lot of time: you dont need to memorize commands in order to execute an application; you only have to point and click so that its content appears on the screen.

Macintosh computers were designed with a single aim: facilitate interaction with the computer:. Their interface was called WIMP: Window, Icon, Menu or Mouse and Pointer and software products for the Macintosh have been designed to take full advantage of its features using this interface. In addition, the ROM chips of a Macintosh contain libraries that provide program developers with routines for generating windows, dialog boxes, icons and pop-up menus. This ensures the creation of applications with a high level of consistency.

Today, the most innovative GUIs are the Macintosh, Microsoft Windows and IBM OS/ Warp. These three platforms include similar features: a desktop with icons, windows and folders, a printer selector, a file finder, a control panel and various desk accessories. Double-clicking a folder opens a window which contains programs, documents or further nested folders. At any time within a folder, you can launch the desired program or document by double clicking the icon, or you can drag it to another location.

The three platforms differed in other areas such as device installation, network connectivity or compatibility with application programs.

These interfaces were so successful because they are extremely easy to use. It is well known that computers running under an attractive interface stimulate users to be more creative and produce high quality results, which has a major impact on the general public.

A GUI may be designed for the rigorous requirements of a vertical market. This is known as an "application specific graphical user interface." Examples of an application specific GUI are:

Touchscreen point of sale software used by waitstaff in a busy restaurant Self-service checkouts used in a retail store Automated teller machines (ATM) Airline self-ticketing and check-in Information kiosks in a public space, like a train station or a museum Monitors or control screens in an embedded industrial application which employ a real time operating

system (RTOS). The latest cell phones and handheld game systems also employ application specific touchscreen GUIs. Newer automobiles use GUIs in their navigation systems and touch screen multimedia centers.

Smaller mobile devices such as PDAs and smartphones typically use the WIMP elements with different unifying metaphors, due to constraints in space and available input devices. Applications for which WIMP is not well suited may use newer interaction techniques, collectively named as post-WIMP user interfaces. [3] Some touch-screen-based devices such as Apple's iPhone currently use post-WIMP styles of interaction. The iPhone's use of more than one finger in contact with the screen allows actions such as pinching and rotating, which are not supported by a single pointer and mouse. [4] A class of GUIs sometimes referred to as post-WIMP include 3D compositing window manager such as Compiz, Desktop Window Manager, and LG3D. Some post-WIMP interfaces may be better suited for applications which model immmersive 3D environments, such as Google Earth.

Faculdades Hoyler Curso de Sistemas de Informao

Ingls Instrumental I

Copyright Cambridge University Press (Permission to copy for use in class)

6

Glossary:

____________________ = indicao de prontido ou de pronto ou prompt; exibio de caractere para lembrar ao usurio que esperada uma entrada ____________________ = interface do usurio: hardware projetado para facilitar a comunicao do usurio com a mquina ou o software que opera entre o usurio e o sistema operacional, normalmente para tentar tornar o sistema operacional mais amigvel ou mais fcil de usar. ____________________ = tipo padro de hardware que caracteriza uma srie especfica de computadores. ____________________ = dispositivos ____________________ = sub-pastas ____________________ = arrastar

GUI developed in 1981 for the Star workstation, officially known as the 8010 Star Information System

ALeia o texto e responda:

1. What does the abbreviation GUI stand for? __________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the contribution of Macintosh computers to the development of graphic environments? __________________________________________________________________________________

3. What does the acronym WIMP mean? __________________________________________________________________________________

4. What computing environments based on graphics are mentioned in the text? ____________________________________________________________________________________

5. How do you run a program on a computer with a graphical interface? ____________________________________________________________________________________

6. Can you give two reasons for the importance of user-friendly interfaces? _________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Na ilustrao abaixo, encontre alguns dos seguintes elementos de interface e escreva seus nomes nas partes correspondentes, assinalando com um (x) aqueles que no podem ser identificados na imagem.

1. window ( ) 2. scroll bars ( ) 3. menu bar ( ) 4. pull-down menu ( ) 5. pointer ( ) 6. toolbar buttons ( ) 7. disk icons ( ) 8. folders ( ) 9. program icons ( ) 10. document icons ( ) 11. printer icon ( ) 12. dock icons ( )