<P> A command - line interface or command language interpreter (CLI), also known as command - line user interface, console user interface and character user interface (CUI), is a means of interacting with a computer program where the user (or client) issues commands to the program in the form of successive lines of text (command lines). A program which handles the interface is called a command language interpreter or shell (computing). </P> <P> The CLI was the primary means of interaction with most computer systems on computer terminals in the mid-1960s, and continued to be used throughout the 1970s and 1980s on OpenVMS, Unix systems and personal computer systems including MS - DOS, CP / M and Apple DOS . The interface is usually implemented with a command line shell, which is a program that accepts commands as text input and converts commands into appropriate operating system functions . </P> <P> Today, many end users rarely, if ever, use command - line interfaces and instead rely upon graphical user interfaces and menu - driven interactions . However, many software developers, system administrators and advanced users still rely heavily on command - line interfaces to perform tasks more efficiently, configure their machine, or access programs and program features that are not available through a graphical interface . </P> <P> Alternatives to the command line include, but are not limited to text user interface menus (see IBM AIX SMIT for example), keyboard shortcuts, and various other desktop metaphors centered on the pointer (usually controlled with a mouse). Examples of this include the Windows versions 1, 2, 3, 3.1, and 3.11 (an OS shell that runs in DOS), DosShell, and Mouse Systems PowerPanel . </P>

The most common form of user interface used on pc's today is called a
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