what is gui

GUI stands for Graphical User Interface, which is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators, as opposed to text-based interfaces or typed command labels. In a GUI, visual elements represent actions that users can take, and the visuals displayed in the user interface convey information relevant to the user. GUIs are now the default for nearly every commercial digital product, from PCs and mobile devices to TVs, gaming consoles, and refrigerators. The first GUI was developed at Xerox PARC in the 1970s, with Apple and Microsoft following suit in the 1980s. A comprehensive GUI environment includes four components: a graphics library, a user interface toolkit, a user interface style guide, and consistent applications.