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If you were to divide everything that makes up a computer and its software into what the average user interacts with, and everything else that works "behind the scenes", what would the "user-part" be called? What would the "behind the scenes" part be called?

For example, on my Windows laptop I'd consider things like the desktop, taskbar, and File Explorer "user-parts" and things like the command prompt or the BIOS as "behind the scenes". On a website, the HTML code would be "behind the scenes" and the visuals, text, etc. that the code produces would be the "user-part".

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  • Are you talking about the interface and the code?
    – Yosef Baskin
    Commented Jul 26, 2022 at 19:08
  • If you don't consider the terminal or BIOS interfaces to be "user interfaces", you might be looking specifically for "graphical user interface"
    – Esther
    Commented Jul 26, 2022 at 21:56
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    The command prompt is just as much a part of the user interface as the desktop and taskbar; in fact, its entire purpose is to "prompt" the user to enter "commands". Are you excluding it simply because many people don't use it often? (Some people use it quite often.)
    – MarcInManhattan
    Commented Jul 27, 2022 at 14:51

2 Answers 2

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It is the user interface. Lexico has

user interface
NOUN

Computing The means by which the user and a computer system interact, in particular the use of input devices and software.

Behind the scenes are the

hardware
The machines, wiring, and other physical components of a computer or other electronic system.

and the

software
The programs and other operating information used by a computer.

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    The abbreviation UI is very common.
    – Stuart F
    Commented Jul 26, 2022 at 21:41
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If I have understood the question correctly: in 1970s military electronics the interface between man and machine was known as the Man-Machine Interface or MMI. At that time the use of man in that context didn't seem to cause a problem to the female engineers I worked with, though I can see that it might now be preferable to re-word it.

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    For what it's worth, "Man-machine interaction" now tends to be referred to as "Human-computer interaction" (HCI), presumably for the reason you mention :)
    – psmears
    Commented Jul 27, 2022 at 15:35
  • For a while it was also called "computer-human interaction"/CHI but I think they wanted to emphasise that the human was the important part when designing an interface, hence HCI.
    – Stuart F
    Commented Jul 28, 2022 at 10:09

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