<s>
Common	B-General_Concept
User	I-General_Concept
Access	I-General_Concept
(	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
)	O
is	O
a	O
standard	O
for	O
user	B-Application
interfaces	I-Application
to	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
and	O
computer	B-Application
programs	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
IBM	O
and	O
first	O
published	O
in	O
1987	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
their	O
Systems	B-Device
Application	I-Device
Architecture	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Used	O
originally	O
in	O
the	O
MVS/ESA	O
,	O
VM/CMS	B-Application
,	O
OS/400	B-Application
,	O
OS/2	B-Application
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
,	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
standard	O
are	O
now	O
implemented	O
in	O
programs	O
for	O
other	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
including	O
variants	O
of	O
Unix	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
used	O
by	O
Java	B-Language
AWT	I-Language
and	O
Swing	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
wanted	O
a	O
standard	O
way	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
text-based	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
software	O
,	O
whether	O
the	O
screen	O
was	O
a	O
dumb	O
terminal	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
mainframe	O
or	O
a	O
PS/2	B-Device
with	O
VGA	B-Protocol
graphics	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
CUA	B-General_Concept
was	O
a	O
detailed	O
specification	O
and	O
set	O
strict	O
rules	O
about	O
how	O
applications	O
should	O
look	O
and	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
aim	O
was	O
in	O
part	O
to	O
bring	O
about	O
harmony	O
among	O
DOS	B-Device
applications	O
,	O
which	O
until	O
then	O
had	O
independently	O
implemented	O
different	O
user	B-Application
interfaces	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
WordPerfect	B-Application
,	O
the	O
command	O
to	O
open	O
a	O
file	O
was	O
,	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Lotus	B-Application
1-2-3	I-Application
,	O
a	O
file	O
was	O
opened	O
with	O
(	O
to	O
open	O
the	O
menus	O
)	O
,	O
(	O
for	O
File	O
)	O
,	O
(	O
for	O
Retrieve	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Word	I-Application
,	O
a	O
file	O
was	O
opened	O
with	O
(	O
to	O
open	O
the	O
menus	O
)	O
,	O
(	O
for	O
Transfer	O
)	O
,	O
(	O
for	O
Load	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
WordStar	B-Application
,	O
(	O
to	O
get	O
to	O
the	O
Opening	O
Menu	O
)	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
emacs	B-Application
,	O
a	O
file	O
is	O
opened	O
with	O
+	O
followed	O
by	O
+	O
(	O
for	O
find-file	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
vi	B-Application
,	O
use	O
to	O
allow	O
commands	O
,	O
then	O
to	O
open	O
the	O
file	O
browser	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
was	O
often	O
the	O
help	B-Protocol
key	I-Protocol
(	O
such	O
as	O
Volkswriter	B-Protocol
(	O
1982	O
)	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
in	O
WordPerfect	B-Application
,	O
help	O
was	O
on	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
programs	O
used	O
to	O
cancel	O
an	O
action	O
,	O
while	O
some	O
used	O
it	O
to	O
complete	O
one	O
;	O
WordPerfect	B-Application
used	O
it	O
to	O
repeat	O
a	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
sometimes	O
toggled	O
between	O
overtype	O
and	O
inserting	O
characters	O
,	O
but	O
some	O
programs	O
used	O
it	O
for	O
"	O
paste	B-General_Concept
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
every	O
program	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
learned	O
individually	O
and	O
its	O
complete	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
memorised	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
detailed	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
specification	O
,	O
published	O
in	O
December	O
1987	O
,	O
is	O
328	O
pages	O
long	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
similarities	O
to	O
Apple	O
Computer	O
's	O
detailed	O
human	B-Application
interface	I-Application
guidelines	I-Application
(	O
139	O
pages	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	O
HIG	O
is	O
a	O
detailed	O
book	O
specifying	O
how	O
software	O
for	O
the	O
1984	O
Apple	B-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
computer	I-Device
should	O
look	O
and	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
it	O
was	O
first	O
written	O
,	O
the	O
Mac	B-Device
was	O
new	O
,	O
and	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
GUI	B-Application
)	O
software	O
was	O
a	O
novelty	O
,	O
so	O
Apple	O
took	O
great	O
pains	O
to	O
ensure	O
that	O
programs	O
would	O
conform	O
to	O
a	O
single	O
shared	O
look	O
and	O
feel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CUA	B-General_Concept
had	O
a	O
similar	O
aim	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
faced	O
the	O
more	O
difficult	O
task	O
of	O
trying	O
to	O
impose	O
this	O
retroactively	O
on	O
an	O
existing	O
,	O
thriving	O
but	O
chaotic	O
industry	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
much	O
more	O
ambitious	O
goal	O
of	O
unifying	O
all	O
UI	O
,	O
from	O
personal	O
computers	O
to	O
minicomputers	O
to	O
mainframes	O
;	O
and	O
supporting	O
both	O
character	O
and	O
GUI	B-Application
modes	O
,	O
and	O
both	O
batch	O
and	O
interactive	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
comparison	O
,	O
the	O
Apple	O
HIG	O
only	O
supported	O
interactive	O
GUI	B-Application
on	O
a	O
standalone	O
personal	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CUA	B-General_Concept
also	O
attempted	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
more	O
measurable	O
standard	O
than	O
the	O
Apple	O
HIG	O
and	O
had	O
large	O
sections	O
formatted	O
as	O
checklists	O
to	O
measure	O
compliance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
contains	O
standards	O
for	O
the	O
operation	O
of	O
elements	O
such	O
as	O
dialog	O
boxes	O
,	O
menus	O
and	O
keyboard	B-Device
shortcuts	O
that	O
have	O
become	O
so	O
influential	O
that	O
they	O
are	O
implemented	O
today	O
by	O
many	O
programmers	O
who	O
have	O
never	O
read	O
the	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
these	O
standards	O
can	O
be	O
seen	O
in	O
the	O
operation	O
of	O
Windows	O
itself	O
and	O
DOS-based	O
applications	O
like	O
the	O
MS-DOS	O
5	O
full-screen	O
text	B-Application
editor	I-Application
edit.com	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
CUA	B-General_Concept
hallmarks	O
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
operations	O
can	O
be	O
done	O
with	O
either	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
or	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
;	O
</s>
<s>
Applications	O
have	O
online	B-Protocol
help	I-Protocol
accessed	O
by	O
a	O
Help	O
menu	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
the	O
last	O
option	O
on	O
the	O
menu	O
bar	O
;	O
context	O
sensitive	O
help	O
can	O
be	O
summoned	O
by	O
;	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
menu	O
is	O
to	O
be	O
called	O
'	O
File	O
 '	O
and	O
contains	O
operations	O
for	O
handling	O
files	O
(	O
new	O
,	O
open	O
,	O
save	O
,	O
save	O
as	O
)	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
quitting	O
the	O
program	O
;	O
the	O
next	O
menu	O
'	O
Edit	B-Application
 '	O
has	O
commands	O
for	O
undo	O
,	O
redo	O
,	O
cut	B-General_Concept
,	O
copy	B-General_Concept
,	O
delete	O
,	O
paste	B-General_Concept
commands	O
;	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cut	B-General_Concept
command	O
is	O
+	O
;	O
Copy	B-General_Concept
is	O
+	O
;	O
Paste	B-General_Concept
is	O
+	O
;	O
</s>
<s>
CUA	B-General_Concept
not	O
only	O
covers	O
DOS	B-Device
applications	O
,	O
but	O
is	O
also	O
the	O
basis	O
for	O
the	O
Windows	O
Consistent	O
User	B-Application
Interface	I-Application
standard	O
(	O
CUI	O
)	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
that	O
for	O
OS/2	B-Application
applications	O
—	O
both	O
text-mode	O
and	O
the	O
Presentation	B-Device
Manager	I-Device
GUI	B-Application
—	O
and	O
IBM	O
mainframes	O
which	O
conform	O
to	O
the	O
Systems	B-Device
Application	I-Device
Architecture	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
CUA	B-General_Concept
was	O
more	O
than	O
just	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
rationalise	O
DOS	B-Device
applications	O
—	O
it	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
larger	O
scheme	O
to	O
bring	O
together	O
,	O
rationalise	O
and	O
harmonise	O
the	O
overall	O
functions	O
of	O
software	O
and	O
hardware	O
across	O
IBM	O
's	O
entire	O
computing	O
range	O
from	O
microcomputers	O
to	O
mainframes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
third	O
edition	O
of	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
took	O
a	O
radical	O
departure	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
by	O
introducing	O
the	O
object-oriented	B-Language
workplace	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
See	O
also	O
object-oriented	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
CUA	B-General_Concept
strongly	O
influenced	O
the	O
early	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
during	O
the	O
period	O
of	O
joint	O
IBM	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
cooperation	O
on	O
OS/2	B-Device
Presentation	I-Device
Manager	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
later	O
releases	O
of	O
IBM	O
's	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
documents	O
were	O
not	O
used	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
products	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
became	O
less	O
significant	O
in	O
the	O
Windows	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
standard	O
keystrokes	O
and	O
basic	O
GUI	B-Application
widgets	O
specified	O
by	O
the	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
remain	O
available	O
in	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
well-known	O
combination	O
for	O
closing	O
a	O
window	O
,	O
,	O
stems	O
from	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
CUA	B-General_Concept
never	O
had	O
significant	O
impact	O
on	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
Unix	B-Application
terminal	O
(	O
character-mode	O
)	O
applications	O
,	O
which	O
preceded	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
by	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
decade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
all	O
major	O
Unix	B-Application
GUI	B-Application
environments/toolkits	O
,	O
whether	O
or	O
not	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
X	B-Operating_System
Window	I-Operating_System
System	I-Operating_System
,	O
have	O
featured	O
varying	O
levels	O
of	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
compatibility	O
,	O
with	O
Motif/CDE	O
explicitly	O
featuring	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
design	O
goal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
current	O
major	O
environments	O
,	O
GNOME	B-Application
and	O
KDE	B-Application
,	O
also	O
feature	O
extensive	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
compatibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
subset	O
of	O
CUA	B-General_Concept
implemented	O
in	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
or	O
OSF/Motif	B-Application
is	O
generally	O
considered	O
a	O
de	O
facto	O
standard	O
to	O
be	O
followed	O
by	O
any	O
new	O
Unix	B-Application
GUI	B-Application
environment	O
.	O
</s>
