Operating system command-line interfaces

Operating system (OS) command line interfaces are usually distinct programs supplied with the operating system.

A program that implements such a text interface is often called a command-line interpreter, command processor or shell.

Application command-line interfaces

Application programs (as opposed to operating systems) may also have command line interfaces.

An application program may support none, any, or all of these three major types of command line interface mechanisms:

1. Parameters: Most operating systems support a means to pass additional information to a program when it is launched. When a program is launched from an OS command line shell, additional text provided along with the program name is passed to the launched program.

2. Interactive command line sessions: After launch, a program may provide an operator with an independent means to enter commands in the form of text.

3. OS inter-process communication: Most operating systems support means of inter-process communication (for example; standard streams or named pipes). Command lines from client processes may be redirected to a CLI program by one of these methods.

Menu Interface

This type of interface lets you interact with a computer or device by working your way through a series of screens or menus.

Think about your iPod or mobile phone, they both use a menu driven interface. You are presented with a menu, you make a choice and then the next menu appears on the screen. You make another choice and so on.

Cashpoint machines (ATMs) are another good example of a menu driven interface.

Menu driven interfaces can also be verbal rather than visual. Have you ever made a telephone call and been asked to 'press 1 for abc, press 2 for def, press 3 for ghi'?

Most of the software that you use have menu interfaces. You can use many features of the software by working your way through the menu options. Have a look at the menus in your word processor or spreadsheet package and see how many different choices you are given.

A well designed menu interface is simple to use, you just follow the instructions and make your choices.

Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages	Disadvantages
Extremely easy to use. Someone who has never seen the interface before can work out what to do	A poorly designed menu interface may be slow to use
There are no commands to learn or remember	It can be irritating if there are too many menu screens to work through - users get annoyed or bored if it takes too long
Step-by-step options are given so that the user doesn't have to remember anything	You often can't go to the exact place you want right at the start. You have to work your way through the menu screens even if you know where you want to get to.
Even if you don't know what to do, you can usually guess your way around the options	The menu can take up a large part of the screen so you have to keep flicking back and forwards between applications
Menu interfaces don't have to be visual, they can be spoken - good for telephones or for visually impaired people	If the menu is poorly designed it might be hard to read e.g. writing is too small for people with poor sight, colours might clash and be difficult to read, font style might be hard to read.

Table 6- Advantages and Disadvantages

Sound and speech interface

This type of interface allows the user to speak or type in their normal everyday language in order to interact with the computer.

For example, some applications such as speech recognition software accepts the spoken words and converts them into text on the computer. These applications have a much wider vocabularly than the dialogue interface.

An example of a natural language interface which makes use of written text is a 'chat bot'. This software mimics a conversation - you ask it questions and it will come back with a suitable comment for you.

This is the most technically challenging form of interface for the designers as it has to cope with different accents, dialects, slang, homonyms (bare or bear) etc.

Questions:

1. What is the Usability of interfaces?

2. What is the Command-Line Interface?

3. What is the HCI?

4. What are the advantages and Disadvantages of menu interfaces?

References

2. Lorenzo Cantoni (University of Lugano, Switzerland) James A. Danowski (University of Illinois at Chicago, IL, USA) Communication and Technology, 576 pages.

3. Craig Van Slyke Information Communication Technologies: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (6 Volumes). ISBN13: 9781599049496, 2008, Pages: 4288

4. Utelbaeva A.K.,Utelbaeva A.K. Study guide for lectures on discipline “Computer science”, Shimkent 2008, 84 pages.

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