LESSON 9

USING THE GRAPHICAL

USER INTERFACE
Prepared by:
Alexander S. Cochanco, MSIT
Graphical User Interface
A graphical user interface (GUI) is a method of
interacting with a PC by manipulating visual
elements such as icons and windows.
Xerox developed the first GUI as the primary
interface for its Alto computer in 1973, and
most modern GUIs are derived from it.
Besides icons and windows, a GUI consists of
such graphical elements as menus, radio
buttons, and check boxes, and employs a
pointing device such as a mouse or trackball to
manipulate these elements.
Windows 10 Desktop
It has been 30 years since Microsoft launched
the first version of Windows with Windows 3, the
first Windows OS to support multitasking.
Microsoft garnered extensive support from the
software development community. Windows 95
gave us the start button, Windows 98 became
the first version of Windows specifically for
consumers, Windows ME was the last Windows
edition based on MS-DOS, Windows XP ditched
the plain gray color scheme for blue and greens,
Windows 7 brought a more refined look and
trimmed-down user interface that remains today.
Windows 10 Desktop
Microsoft made an aggressive move with
Windows 8; it had a new interface and a tiled
screen, but it came with a steep learning curve
that prompted a backlash from some users.
Windows 8.1 was a free upgrade to Windows 8;
enhancements included an improved Start
screen and the restoration of a start button on
the taskbar. Windows 10 is the latest from the
software giant.
Linux Mint Desktop
In Linux installations, unlike Windows 10, the
GUI part of the installation is really just a “skin”
for the underlying Linux operating system.
Therefore, it is not as integral to the operating
system as the GUI is to Windows 10. You can
select from many different GUI desktop
environments with Linux Mint, such as
Cinnamon, MATE and Xfce.
Cinnamon Desktop Environment
Cinnamon is a free and open-source desktop
environment for the X Window System that
derives from GNOME 3 (GNU Network Object
Model Environment) but follows traditional
desktop metaphor conventions.
Some of the features of the Cinnamon desktop
are desktop effects, including animations,
transition effects and transparency using
composition. Panels are equipped with a main
menu, launchers, a window list and the system
tray can be adjusted on left, right, upper, or
lower edge of the screen.
MATE Desktop Environment

MATE is a desktop environment composed of

free and open-source software that runs on
Linux and most BSD Unix derivatives.
An argentine user of Arch Linux started the
MATE project to fork and continue GNOME 2 in
response to the negative reception of GNOME 3,
which controversially replace its traditional
taskbar (GNOME Panel) with GNOME shell.
MATE aims to maintain and continue the latest
GNOME 2 code base, frameworks and core
applications.
MATE Desktop Environment

MATE is named after the South American plant

“yerba mate” and tea made from the herb
“mate”. The name was originally all capital
letters and was defined as “MATE Advanced
Traditional Environment”.
MATE has forked a number of applications
which originated as GNOME core applications,
and developers have written several other
applications from scratch. The forked
applications have new names, most of them
from Spanish.
MATE Desktop Environment

MATE applications include:

Caja (box) – file manager
Pluma (quill/feather/pen) – text editor
Atril (lectern) – document viewer
Engrampa (staple) – archive manager
MATE-terminal – terminal emulator
Marco (frame) – window manager
Mozo (waiter) – menu-item editor
Xfce Desktop Environment
Xfce is a free and open-source desktop
environment for Unix and Unix-like operating
systems such as Linux, Solaris and BSD
(Berkeley Software Distribution).
Xfce aims to be fast and light weight, while still
being visually appealing and easy to use. Xfce
embodies the traditional Unix philosophy of
modularity and re-usability. It consists of
separately packaged parts that together provide
all functions of the desktop environment, but can
be selected in subsets to suit user needs and
preference. Another priority of Xfce is adherence
to standards set by freedesktop.org.
Xfce Desktop Environment

Like GNOME, Xfce is based on the GTK toolkit,

but it is not a GNOME fork. It uses the Xfwm
window manager. Its configuration is entirely
mouse-driven, with the configuration files hidden
from the casual user.
Xfce does not feature any desktop animations.
USING THE START MENU
AND APPLICATION MENU
Using the Start Menu AND
APPLICATIONS MENU
The Windows Start Menu and the
Applications Menu in Linux Mint are launching
pads for applications because both contain
pointers to programs stored on the hard drive.
These pointers are called shortcuts.
Windows Start Menu

You can access the most useful programs and

documents on your Windows 10 computer by
clicking the Start button in the lower-left corner
of the screen to open the Start menu.
The Start menu has a list of applications on the
left side and tiles on the right side. The default
installation of Windows 10 includes shortcuts for
the Most used applications, Recently added
applications, File Explorer, Settings, Power,
and the All apps list on the left side of the Start
menu.
Windows Start Menu
File Explorer gives us access to the file system and
emphasizes commonly used files. The Settings icon
contains settings that you can change to configure
the operating system. Click Power if you want to
shutdown your computer, restart it, or put it in
“sleep” mode. Clicking all apps icon displays a short
list of shortcuts of all the applications installed on
the system.
The right side of the Start menu contains tiles that
serve as shortcut to applications; these tiles can be
customized. Tiles, also known as live tiles, often
display dynamic information even when underlying
application is not running.
Application Menu
Linux Mint comes with the default Cinnamon menu.
To open the menu click on the “Menu” button at the
bottom-left corner of your screen.
The application menu holds the Quit, Logout, Lock
Screen, Files, Terminal, System Settings,
Software Managers and Firefox buttons.
The application menu also holds shortcuts for all
applications installed which is located in the right
side of the application menu. These shortcuts are
group as follows: Accessories, Graphics, Internet,
Office, Sound and Video, Universal Access,
Administration, Preferences and Places.
Customizing the Windows 10
Start Menu
To display options for personalizing the Start
menu, click the Start button, click Settings,
click Personalization and then click Start.
Changing the appearance of the
application menu
We can customize the application menu in many
ways. Right click on Menu and select
Configure.
TASKBAR AND PANEL
Using the Taskbar in Windows 10

The Taskbar is a handy place for storing

frequently used apps as well as apps that a user
currently have opened.
By default, the taskbar appears at the bottom of
the Windows screen, but it can be customized,
to appear at any edge of the screen. The taskbar
is the key element in using the Windows 10
interface.
Using the Taskbar in Windows 10
From left to right, the taskbar contains the following
functions:
• Start menu
• Search Box – Allows a user to search for local
applications, settings and Microsoft Store
applications
• Task View – Displays and allows switching
between open application windows and different
desktops
• App icons – Displays pinned and running
applications
• Notification Area – Displays icons for the clock,
volume, network, action center and other system or
application settings.
• Show Desktop Button – Minimizes all open
windows so you can view the desktop.
Configuring the taskbar

We can configure the taskbar by right clicking on

the taskbar and selecting Taskbar Settings.
Using the Panel in Linux Mint

The Panel is the bar located at the bottom of the

screen in Linux Mint operating system.
Starting from the left end, the panel shows the
Menu button, Show desktop button, and a
group of three common application launchers.
The large blank space is for the window list /
taskbar. At the right end are some monitors and
controls and a clock.
Configuring the Panel

We can configure the panel by right clicking on

the panel and selecting Panel Settings.
TAILORING THE DESKTOP
Using Windows 10 Desktop
Features
Snap, a desktop feature that has been available
since Windows 7, is a quick and fun way to
resize open windows simply by dragging them to
the edges of your screen. Depending on where
you drag a window, you can make it expand
vertically, take up the entire screen, or appear
side by side with another window. Snap makes it
easy to read, organize, and compare windows.
Using Windows 10 Desktop
Features
Two additional features are Peek and Shake.
Peek appears to give you the power of X-ray
vision – you can peer past all your open
windows and peek at the Windows desktop.
Simply click or point to the show desktop
button, a small vertical bar just right of the date
and time in the far right corner of the taskbar.
Any open windows will fade from view, revealing
the desktop. To make the windows reappear,
move the mouse away from the show desktop
button or click it again.
Using Windows 10 Desktop
Features
The Shake feature lets you cut through a
cluttered desktop and quickly focus on a single
window. Just click the desired window’s title bar
and give your mouse a shake; every open
window except the selected one instantly
disappears. Jiggle the mouse again, and the
other windows reappear.
Increasing the Size of Windows
Text Fonts
If the text in your screen is to small for easy
reading, you can increase the size of the fonts
used in Windows menus, headings and icon
labels. Click Start, click Settings, click System,
click Display, and then click the drop-down list
box below the “Change the size of text, apps,
and other items” to select the desired size.
Changing the Appearance of
Desktop Icons
With prolonged activity in Windows, the desktop
can become cluttered. Windows 10 offers a
number of ways to manage desktop clutter. To
keep your desktop neat, consider the ff. options:
Icon Size – choose from Large, Medium and
Small
Auto Arrange Icons – all icons are aligned in
an invisible grid and arranged in a set manner
Align Icons to grid – All icons jump to the
invisible grid
Show desktop icons – Hide or display desktop
icons.
Changing the Appearance of
Desktop Icons
To access these options, right click the desktop
and point to View.
Changing the Appearance of
Desktop Icons
Desktop icons can also be sorted by name, size,
item type, or date modified. To access sorting
options, right click the desktop and point to Sort
by.
Changing Display Settings

The Display Window sets the brightness, scale

and layout of the desktop. To view the display
window, click Start, click Settings, click
System, then click Display.
Changing Backgrounds, Colors
and Themes
To change backgrounds, colors and themes, go
to the personalization window by clicking Start,
then Settings and Personalization.
Changing Desktop Appearance in
Linux Mint
We can change the desktop appearance in
Linux Mint by accessing the Appearance Menu
inside the System Settings Function.

The Appearance Menu has 4 functions inside

which include the following: Backgrounds,
Effects, Font Selection and Themes.