Software package terminology

The use of computer packages has spawned a new software terminology, which a new user needs to learn. One overused term in reference to computer packages and to computers in general is "user friendly." A user-friendly package is sup­posed to be easy to use. Unfortunately, many packages that are advertised as user friendly are really quite difficult to use because of their complexity. In some cases it is not possible for sophisticated business packages to be totally user friendly because they are designed to solve complicated problems. Successful use of these packages may actually require many hours of instruction.

Different software packages have different types of user interface, that is, different ways to enter data and commands. The three most common of these user interfaces are menu driven, command driven, and graphical. In a menu-driven package, a menu either gives the user a list of commands from which to choose or requests that data be entered, in a particular form. Two very com­mon methods of menu selection are (1) to enter a letter or a number and (2) to move the highlighting to the desired selection. In many cases, the user will not only select from a menu, but will also be asked to enter a file name or specific data. For example, in an accounting package, a menu may request users to enter the amounts they wish to budget for various categories.

One widely used type of menu system is the pull-down menu, so called because making a selection from a menu results in the appearance of a submenu, from which a choice can be made.

At the opposite extreme from menu-driven packages are command-driven packages. A command-driven package does not provide a list of commands to choose from or request a specific type of data; instead, it simply waits for the user to enter the appropriate command or data. It may show a prompt to alert the user that it is time to enter a command or data and to indicate where to enter it. Using a command-driven package requires that the user read the package doc­umentation to learn the necessary commands or take classes in using the pack­age. Examples of command-driven packages are the MS-DOS operating system and the dBASE data base management software.

The type of user interface that is currently gaining popularity is the graph­ical user interface, or GUI. In a GUI, icons (pictures) are used to represent the functions to be performed, and a mouse is used to position the cursor or pointer over the desired function. Once you have positioned the cursor over an icon, you press a button on the mouse and the function is carried out. With a little practice, it is possible to make choices from the menu—enter commands—very quickly. The use of GUI was pioneered on the Apple Macintosh, but many pack­ages for IBM compatible computers now use a GUI. In fact, one of the reasons the popular Windows operating environment was developed was to provide MS-DOS users with this type of interface.

There are advantages and disadvantages to all three types of interfaces, and what appears to be an advantage in one may be a disadvantage in another. For packages with a menu-driven interface or a GUI, the advantage is that the user does not have to learn a series of commands before using the package. The user has only to make a selection from a menu or choose the appropriate icon. However, once the user has learned the commands for the package, it can be bothersome to wait for the next menu or set of icons before making a selec­tion. For a novice user, a command-driven interface can be difficult to use because it is necessary to know both the proper commands and the appropriate spot on the screen to enter them. Of course, once the data format and list of commands are learned, data or commands can be quickly entered to a command-driven package.

Some packages allow users to begin with a menu-driven format and then move to a command-driven format as they become familiar with the package. For example, the package may have you enter the first letter of a command rather than moving the highlighting to the command, or may permit you to actu­ally turn off the menu system. Lotus 1-2-3 is an example of the first type of package and dBASE is an example of the second.

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