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Most operating systems provide a set of tools to enable users to perform setup, configuration, and maintenance tasks. For example, they may provide “utility” software to add/remove software, configure hardware, and manage files. This utility software may take the form of commands that are accessed through a CLI, or graphical utilities that are accessed through a GUI. Most operating systems also provide a set of basic starter applications, such as a text editor, clock, a few games, and sometimes a web browser.
== GUI vs CLI: Advantages and Disadvantages ==
Both graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and Command Line Interfaces (CLIs) have strengths and weaknesses, making them suited for different types of use.
The visual nature of a graphical user interface makes it well-suited for creating, editing, and viewing visual media, such as photos, videos, presentations, and highly-formatted documents. A GUI is also well-suited to dense displays of visual information, such as data dashboards. However, most GUIs are not well-suited to automation, and the large amount of information in the display may consume a lot of network bandwidth if the GUI is used over a remote connection.
On the other hand, a CLI is well-suited to task automation, and many tasks may require fewer steps to perform than when using a GUI. CLIs generall require much less bandwidth when used over a network, making them well-suited to remote administration tasks.
To compare the data demands of the two types of user interfaces:
* A GUI on a 1920x1080 ("full high definition") monitor displays about 6 megabytes of data (2 megapixels x 3 bytes per pixel)
* A CUI on an 80x25 character terminal displays about 2 kilobytes of data (0.002 megabytes) at one time
To crop, resize, and change the format of photos:
* A GUI immediately shows the effect of changes and allows the adjustments to be easily fine-tuned, producing an exact result for a small number of photos. However, it may take many steps to perform the edits, so editing hundreds of photographs will take a very long time.
* A CLI is well-suited to automation. Edits could be applied to hundreds of pictures in a few seconds, if the edits can be adequately described on the command-line.