Basic GUI Terminology

In any endeavor knowing the proper terminology is of vital importance. It doesn’t matter if the topic is automobiles or space ships the key here is to know the buzz words used in the field. The same theory is valid even in computer related topics. If you happen to be having problems with your computer then it always helps to be able to convey to the technician what type of problems you may be experiencing. The mere process of getting help for any software that you may be having problems with would certainly be much easier if you could only talk to the technicians in the own language. I don’t mean language as English or French but rather the technical aspect of language,

One of the predominant problems that a new computer user may encounter involves technical support. This is not necessarily a fault of the technical support representative as much as the user who doe not know how to properly describe the computer related problem that they are experiencing. The support personnel are not mind readers and thus can not know what is wrong unless we as users can accurately describe the situation to them.

With this thought clearly in mind I will attempt to describe a few of the key words used in computers when talking to a tech rep. It is hoped that in the future you will be able to accurately tell them what problems you are experiencing. It would be to your advantage to research and learn additional words to be better informed.

The user interface is the software program which provides a visual or use friendly action between the computer and the user. It usually will have boxes, icons, buttons, etc for determining the actual actions. Another important item to know is the Title bar. This is the portion of the screen that appears across the top of your program. It boldly displays its own name as well as the contents.

We can now address the Menu bar. This is the portion of the program which displays the various menu items plus the associated options. A few of the more common ones that you may perhaps be familiar with include File commands, Save commands, Open commands, and Print commands. The tool bar is where we have the little icons displayed which represent tools. Clicking on one of the icons will open a tool or command.

The Minimize, Restore and the Exit button are rather self explanatory. They are usually located on the upper most portion of the program. You will find the Scroll bar which allows you to move your data up or down the page located on the right hand side of the screen. While the Status bar will be displayed near the bottom of the screen. Any special messages will appear here.

have merely scratched the surface of the terminology involved in computers and internet. As I suggested a search of the internet is certain to bring you additional information for you to study.