Manycomputeruser interfaces use acontrol panelmetaphor to give the user control of software and hardware features. The controlpanel consists of multiple settings including display settings, network settings, user account settings, and hardware settings. Control panels are also used byweb applications for easy graphical configuration.[1] Some services offered by control panels require the user to haveadmin rights orroot access.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Control panel" software – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The term control panel was used for theplugboards inunit record equipment and in the early computers of the 1940s and '50s. In the 1980s, theXerox Star and theApple Lisa, which pioneered the firstgraphical user interface metaphors, controlled user settings by single click selections and variable fields. In 1984 the Apple Macintosh in its initial release made use of fundamental graphic representation of a "control panel board" imitating the operation of slider controls, on/off buttons and radio-select buttons that corresponded to user settings.[citation needed]
There are many tasks grouped in a control panel:
