The term GUI or graphical user interface refers to systems that rely largely on visual elements in the interface such as windows and menus. The term GUI is often used interchangebly with WIMP, which stands for Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointer – the main elements of a GUI-style interface.
The term was orginally coined in the 1980s to distinguish more visual interfaces from command line interfaces (CLIs), which were largely textual. A critical difference was the way that GUIs used {{recognition rather than recall}, compared with (most) CLI where one had to remember all of the commands and their required parameters.
Nowadays one would also contrast GUI with conversational user interfaces (textual and spoken) and forms of immersive interaction including virtual reality and ((augmented reality}}.