Both the MICROSOFT Windows and the Apple Macintosh operating systems use the concept of a desktop. The desktop is an on-screen WORK area with common graphical elements such as icons, buttons, menus, links, windows, and dialog boxes. A software APPLICATION can be started by clicking its program name on a MENU, or list of commands. Clicking the program name instructs the operating system to transfer the program’s INSTRUCTIONS from a storage medium into memory. Once started, the application displays in a window on the desktop. A window is a rectangular area of the screen that is used to show the program, data, and/or information. At the top of the window is a title bar that contains the window’s name.

Both the Microsoft Windows and the Apple Macintosh operating systems use the concept of a desktop. The desktop is an on-screen work area with common graphical elements such as icons, buttons, menus, links, windows, and dialog boxes. A software application can be started by clicking its program name on a menu, or list of commands. Clicking the program name instructs the operating system to transfer the program’s instructions from a storage medium into memory. Once started, the application displays in a window on the desktop. A window is a rectangular area of the screen that is used to show the program, data, and/or information. At the top of the window is a title bar that contains the window’s name.