Users no longer expect to spend long periods of time learning how to use the computer or mastering a new program. Windows helps because all Windows programs have the same fundamental look and feel. The program occupies a window—a rectangular area on the screen. It is identified by a caption bar. Most program functions are initiated through the program's menu. Figure 1-1 shows a typical Windows program (in this case Write, the word processor included in Windows) with the various window components labeled.
Some menu items invoke dialog boxes, in which the user enters additional information. One dialog box found in almost every large Windows program opens a file. (See Figure 1-2.) This dialog box looks the same (or very similar) in many different Windows programs, and it is almost always invoked from the same menu option.
Once you know how to use one Windows program, you're in a good position to easily learn another. The menus and dialog boxes allow a user to experiment with a new program and explore its features. Most Windows programs have both a keyboard interface and a mouse interface. Although most functions of Windows programs can be controlled through the keyboard, using the mouse is often easier for many chores.
From the programmer's perspective, the consistent user interface results from using the routines built into Windows for constructing menus and dialog boxes. All menus have the same keyboard and mouse interface because Windows, rather than the application program, handles this job.