from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
look and feel
<operating system> The appearance and function of a program's
{user interface}. The term is most often applied to
{graphical user interfaces} (GUI) but might also be used by
extension for a textual command language used to control a
program.
Look and feel includes such things as the {icons} used to
represent certain functions such as opening and closing files,
directories and {application programs} and changing the size
and position of windows; conventions for the meaning of
different buttons on a {mouse} and keys on the keyboard; and
the appearance and operation of menus.
A {user interface} with a consistent look and feel is
considered by many to be an important factor in the ease of
use of a computer system. The success of the {Macintosh user
interface} was partly due to its consistency.
Because of the perceived importance of look and feel, there
have been several legal actions claiming breech of {copyright}
on the look and feel of user interfaces, most notably by
{Apple Computer} against {Microsoft} and {Hewlett-Packard} (which
Apple
lost) and, later, by {Xerox} against {Apple Computer}. Such legal
action attempts to force suppliers to make their interfaces
inconsistent with those of other vendors' products. This can
only be bad for users and the industry as a whole.
(1995-03-03)