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GUI stands for Graphical User Interface, and it is a term for how the computer interacts with you as a user. The MacOS is a GUI based on the concept of manipulating "windows". Thus a program runs in window. Data is copied from program to program by copying data from "window" to "window", etc…

You will usually interact with your "windows" via a device held in your hand called a mouse. Moving the mouse left and right, or up and down results in the cursor on your screen moving left and right, or up and down

Programs and Files are represented on your computer screen via Icons. The Mac mouse usually has one button. The button is used to select or activate programs or files represented by an icons. You can click once on an icon to select it, or quickly click it twice (Double Click) to activate the icon. The mouse button can be used along with the ctrl key for secondary functions like calling up a program's properties.

• click on an icon to select and move it
• double-click on an icon to run the program or open the folder/document
• cntrl click on the icon to change the program's properties

When you start at the top level of the finder, you’re at the desktop. Unlike Windows, you don’t begin your session with a login prompt. Instead, you start using the programs and files located on the computer immediately. On a typical machine the desktop might include icons for "Macintosh HD", "Browse the Internet ", "Mail", and more. You can customize the appearance of your desktop, save and open files, and run programs from it. Important: For security purposes, you should "save" files only to your home directory on the Enterprise (see below).

You will normally open a folder by double-clicking its icon. You can also open a folder by double clicking on an "alias" of it.

Once the folder is open, you can move it's window by clicking on the "drag" bar which runs along the top of it. The 3 little boxes along the drag bar are used to minimize, switch from windowed to full screen, or to close the window. You can minimize the size of a window by double clicking on the drag bar. You can also resize any window by clicking on an outside edge or corner and dragging it to the desired size.

You close a window by clicking on the close button found on the upper left-hand side of the drag bar. You can close/minimize all open windows at once by pressing the appropriate button along with the option key.

You will normally launch (run) a program by double-clicking its icon from the folder it is stored in. You could also launch a program by double clicking on an alias of the program, or a file associated with it.

Once a program is running, its documents will exhibit the same behavior as the folders discussed above. Thus you resize/minimize/maximize its windows in the same manner. You can also switch between multiple opened programs by clicking on the MultiFinder or by pressing the "tab" key while holding down the "alt" key. The MultiFinder can also be drug off and onto the desktop as an Application Dock.

You exit a program by selecting "Quit" from the program’s Files Menu or by pressing (Apple)Q.

Common Error! Closing the program’s document does not close the program!

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