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Ch. 2: User Interface
[^] Chapter Outlines
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<<Ch. 1: Terminology Ch. 3: Networking>>

  1. User interfaces
    1. Early computers were strictly text-based.
      1. Impossible to use without doing a bunch of reading first.
      2. Often quite obscure and unintuitive.
    2. Current computers have Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs).
      1. Designed for immediate use.
      2. Analogies of real things.
        1. The desktop. Lay out your stuff.
        2. CD Player.
        3. Desktop calender.
      3. Standard parts.
        1. Push buttons.
        2. Radio buttons.
        3. Sliders.
        4. Back and forward buttons.
        5. Menus.
      4. Standard Operations.
        1. The same things are done in the same way on multiple apps.
        2. Share knowledge between apps, or between desktops.
          1. Similar menus: File, Edit, etc.
          2. Similar operations: New, Open, Close, etc.; Copy, Paste, etc.
          3. Same decorations, like the window operations.
          4. Same shortcut keys. C-C, C-V, etc.
      5. Feedback.
        1. Users expect the GUI to keep them informed.
        2. See results for rapid operations.
        3. Something changing for long operations.
          1. Hour glass, spinner, etc.
          2. Progress bar.
  2. How to figure it out.
    1. Explore.
      1. Check the menus. Look for familiar and new.
      2. See what buttons and other controls exist.
      3. Look for mouse-over help messages.
    2. Try it out.
      1. Just try things.
      2. Perhaps create a small test file.
      3. You won't break it.
    3. Learn from others.
      1. The straight-forward stuff you can figure out.
      2. Advanced things are often hidden.
        1. Watch an expert.
        2. Read a web page or a book.
  3. GUI Tasks
    1. Searching.
      1. Case sensitivity.
      2. Sub-strings.
      3. Multiple words.
    2. Find and Replace.
      1. Two spaces to one.
      2. Fixing text breaks.
        1. Pasting in plain text can introduce unwanted formatting.
        2. Display line breaks and replace with nothing.
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