Page 25 - Computer Science V2.0 Class 11

Device Drivers
Devices such as printers and mouse that do not form part of the main computer system are called peripheral devices.
A device driver is software that ensures the smooth functioning of a device by providing an interface between the
device, the operating system, and the device's users.

User Interfaces

An operating system may offer one or more of the following interfaces to the user:
Command-based User Interface (CUI)

In a Command-based User Interface, the user interacts with the computer system by typing commands. The user
has to learn commands for various tasks such as opening a file, creating a directory, renaming, copying or deleting a
file and so on. The primary input device to use a command-based user interface is a keyboard. MS-DOS and Unix are
examples of operating systems with command-based user interfaces.

Graphical User Interface (GUI)
A Graphical User Interface comprises menus, icons, windows and other such visual components. A combination of the
input devices, mouse and keyboard, is used for interacting with a computer using a GUI. An application can be opened
for execution by using a keyboard or by double-clicking on it with a mouse. The operating systems such as Microsoft
Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu, provide graphical user interfaces to their users.

Touch User Interface (TUI)
As the name suggests, Touch User Interface (TUI) enables the users to interact with the computer using human touch.
For example, an application may be opened with the touch of a finger. Examples of operating systems with TUI include
, for the personal computers and , , for smartphones. TUI based on tactile or Braille

input is particularly useful for visually impaired persons.
Voice-based Interface

Voice-based interfaces take verbal commands. They are convenient to use, especially for differently-abled people who
cannot use a mouse or a keyboard to interact with the computer. Siri from Apple and Cortana from Windows provide
voice-based user interfaces.

Gesture-based Interfaces: A Gesture-based Interface takes gestures from a user as inputs. The gestures may include
eye movements and hand waving. Gesture-based interfaces are of immense value for physically challenged people
who cannot type and use speech to communicate with a computer. Gesture-based interfaces are also becoming
popular for gaming and virtual reality experiences.

Name the following:
1. The type of software for which some fee is paid for its usage.
2. This is the type of software that provides basic functionality to operate a computer.
3. The language translator that translates one line of the source code to machine language at a time.
4. The type of user interface that uses human touch to interact with a computer system.

Computer Fundamentals 11