What is the difference between GUI and CUI interface give one example to explain your answer?

Uh-Oh! That’s all you get for now.

We would love to personalise your learning journey. Sign Up to explore more.

Skip for now

Uh-Oh! That’s all you get for now.

We would love to personalise your learning journey. Sign Up to explore more.

Skip for now

Please Wait

Best viewed in latest versions of Mozilla, Chrome, Opera & Safari.

Computer EngineeringComputer NetworkMCA

A graphical user interface, GUI, is the most common type of user interface available today. It is a very user friendly because it makes use of pictures, graphics, and icons - hence why it is called 'graphical'.

It is also known as a WIMP interface because it makes use of −

Windows − A rectangular area on the screen where the commonly used applications run.
Icons − A picture or symbol which is used to represent a software application or hardware device.
Menus − A list of options from which the user can choose what they require.
Pointers − A symbol such as an arrow which moves around the screen as user moves the mouse. It helps user to select objects.

Character User Interface, CUI

A Character User Interface, CUI, is a way to interact with computer programs by issuing them commands as one or more lines of text. An user enters a command which a computer program can understand and then computer program processes the result and return the response. Classic examples of CUI are MS DOS, windows command prompts, Linux/Unix shells etc.

Differences

Following are the important differences between GUI and CUI.

Sr.No.	Key	GUI	CUI
1	Interaction	User interacts with computer using Graphics like images, icons.	User interacts with computer using commands like text.
2	Navigation	Navigation is easy.	Navigation is difficult.
3	Peripherals used	Keyboard, mouse or any other pointing device.	Only keyboard.
4	Precision	GUI has low precision.	CUI has high precision.
5	Speed	GUI is of low speed.	CUI is of high speed.
6	Usage	Usage is easy.	Usage is difficult, requires expertise.
7	Memory requirement	High memory requirement.	Low memory requirement.
8	Flexibility	Highly flexibile user interface.	Little flexibile user interface.
9	Customize	GUI is highly customizable.	CUI appearance is not easily changable.

Updated on 19-Aug-2022 12:08:21

Improve Article

Save Article

Like Article

Read

Discuss

Improve Article

Save Article

GUI and CUI are two types of User Interfaces. GUI stands for Graphical User Interface while CUI stands for Character User Interface. In this article we will be discussing the differences between these two interfaces and which one has advantages over the other.

User Interface : User Interface comprises of everything the user can use to interact with the computer. It is basically the means by which the user and computer system can interact using input and output devices.

GUI: GUI stands for Graphical User Interface. This is a type of user interface where user interacts with the computer using graphics. Graphics include icons, navigation bars, images etc. Mouse can be used while using this interface to interact with the graphics. It is a very user-friendly interface and requires no expertise. Eg: Windows has GUI.

CUI: CUI stands for Character User Interface. This is a type of user interface where user interacts with computer using only keyboard. To perform any action a command is required. CUI is precursor of GUI and was used in most primitive computers.

Most modern computers use GUI and not CUI. Eg: MS-DOS has CUI.

Difference between GUI and CUI:

Property	GUI	CUI
Interaction	Using graphics(images, icons)	Using commands(only text)
Navigation	Easier	Difficult
Peripherals used	Keyboard and mouse(or any pointing device)	Keyboard only
Precision	LOW	HIGH
Speed	LOW	HIGH
Ease of Operation	Easier	Difficult, requires expertise
Memory Required	HIGH	LOW
Flexibility	MORE Flexible	LESS Flexible
Customising Appearance	Highly customisable	Appearance cannot be changed