The personal computer is, to the average computer user, a black box into which he* places a command and the computer dutifully and magically performs it's task. All that is required of the user is that he have an interface into his computer, or a way to tell the computer what to do. The computer user with a good user interface, be it a text menu or a window with picture icons - an interface that allows him to tell the computer exactly what he wants it to do - is a user with a great deal of power at his disposal. A user who sees a screen with a full menu or a well-stocked window of icons is a user who sees possibilities and endless potential. A computer user who sees a blank computer screen or a cryptic, even archaic prompt is a frustrated user who either learns how to tell the computer to do something or turns it off. For the computer user, the most important element of the personal computer is the computer interface into an individual program or a series of programs. These computer interfaces are created and designed by computer programmers.
*The masculine ponoun is used generically and in no way is meant to be gender-specific.
