Menu bar

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A menu bar is a feature of most computer graphical user interfaces that implement windows. The menu bar allows the user to have point-and-click access to window-specific functions, such as saving a file, copying text, or opening a help window.

Contents 1 Implementations 1.1 Macintosh 1.2 Windows 1.3 Linux 2 Ease of use

[edit] Implementations

Through the evolution of graphical user interfaces, the menu bar has been implemented in different ways by different operating systems.

[edit] Macintosh

In the Macintosh operating system, the menu bar is a horizontal "bar" anchored to the top of the screen, containing all application menus (e.g File, Edit, View, Window, Help) on the left side and menu extras (for example the system clock, volume control) on the right side. There is only one menu bar; the options displayed within it change depending on which application is active.

Early Apple experiments in GUI design initially used multiple menu bars anchored to the tops of windows, but this was quickly dropped in favour of the current arrangement. [1] The menu bar first appeared in the Apple Lisa operating system in 1983, and has been a feature of all versions of the Macintosh operating system since the first Macintosh was released in 1984. It is still present in Mac OS X.

[edit] Windows

The menu bar in Microsoft Windows is usually anchored to the top of a window, therefore there can be many menu bars on screen at one time. Menus in the Windows menu bar can be accessed through shortcuts involving the alt key and the mnemonic letter that appears underlined in the menu title.

[edit] Linux

KDE allows users to turn Macintosh-style and Windows-style menu bars on and off. It is possible to have both types in use at the same time.

[edit] Ease of use

In both Windows and Macintosh operating systems, common functions are assigned keyboard shortcuts (for example Control-C or Command-C copies the current selection). Microsoft style menu bars are physically located closer to the content they are associated with. However Bruce Tognazzini, former employee of Apple Computer and human computer interaction professional, claims [2] that Macintosh OS's menu bars can be accessed up to five times faster due to Fitts' Law: because the menu bar lies on a screen edge, it effectively has an infinite height—Mac users can just throw their mouse pointers toward the top of the screen with the assurance that it will never overshoot the menu bar and disappear. After Apple discovered this, they claimed copyright and patent rights on the Apple menu bar. ^{[citation needed]}