An interface is a concept that appeared during the creation of the first computing machines (computers). The term itself has different meanings, but they all come down to the interaction of people and technology. In this article we will tell a little about the history of the creation of various interfaces, as well as introduce the reader to their individual features.
The concept of an interface closest to all users means a set of tools that help a person control a laptop or computer.
A bit of history
Everyone knows that the first computers (computers) had huge dimensions and at the same time very small memory. Punch cards were used to enter data. They were strips of paper on which holes were applied. Programmers made them with their own hands. For this we used simple tools for drilling. The machines read the number and location of holes, thus loading the simplest computational data into their “brain”. Not to call such an interface very convenient. This is even its complete absence, when viewed from a modern point of view. But still it was an interface, albeit very primitive.
In the 80s, machines appeared that had the simplest operating systems based on the use of the command line. A specific command was written, with its help the program was launched. This method of controlling a computer was much more convenient than the first.
And finally, the last interface invented to date is the graphical one. We all use it successfully now. To put it literally, such an interface is the keyboard and mouse that are familiar to everyone, with which we run programs, turn on video, games, and work in various applications and browsers. That is, using these peripherals we control our computer.
How did the GUI come about?
Steven Jobs (founder of Apple) drew attention to the first technical experiments conducted with the mouse (it was very primitive and far from today's designs), and risked using it in his first computers.
Competitors simply copied this management principle much later, when it has already established itself. Thanks to this innovative policy , Apple Corp. has conquered the global computer market in the 1990s. She in our time takes one of the leading positions.
Software interface
Each operating system has its own original interface. In this case, it means the set of tools that the control menu has. The most convenient among operating systems is the Windows interface. Others have more deficiencies in management, and also lag behind in design and design. Also, not everyone has a Russian interface.
Not only operating systems are individual. Any program, game, browser has its own personal interface. We, as users of these programs, choose those that attract us with their ease of management and the beauty of the design. If the interface is poorly thought out, the program is often sent to the trash, even if it is useful. This happens because there are probably similar ones that are slightly inferior functionally, but have an accessible and convenient menu. Almost every person chooses programs based primarily on the convenience of their interface.
What do we have today
Nowadays, the graphical interface is at a new stage of development. Widely and universally gaining popularity sensor technology. People are already getting used to the latest generation of mobile devices. Young people even wonder how their parents used to do without cellular communications before. Smartphones, tablets, monitors, televisions and even refrigerators with washing machines have touch control panels.
What other interfaces are
The term "interface" has many other meanings. These are various means of input and output of data, information. If you just look at the back of your computer, you can see many connectors that are used to connect various devices to it. Trite, but all of these are interfaces that have different purposes. The same USB connector is a USB interface. It serves as a means of "communication" of the PC with flash drives, modems, phones, hard drives, external hard drives, printers and a huge variety of other devices.
We conclude our description of the term “interface” with another meaning of this concept. Today's programming languages are equipped with special methods, which are called "interface". They serve as original conductors that programs use to interact with the operating system. Curious, isn't it? This makes it possible to "talk" one program with another.
Such a familiar and simple word that is often heard and used by every modern person in his speech has many different meanings. Interesting, isn't it?