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A menu bar is a feature of most computer graphical user interfaces that implement windows. The menu bar allows the user to have point-and-click access to window-specific functions, such as saving a file, copying text, or opening a help window.
Implementations
Through the evolution of graphical user interfaces, the menu bar has been implemented in different ways by different operating systems.
Macintosh
In the Macintosh operating system, the menu bar is a horizontal "bar" anchored to the top of the screen, containing all application menus (e.g File, Edit, View, Window, Help) on the left side and menu extras (for example the system clock, volume control) on the right side. There is only one menu bar; the options displayed within it change depending on which application is active. The menu bar has been a feature of all versions of the Macintosh operating system since the first Macintosh was released in 1984, and is still present in Mac OS X.Windows
The menu bar in Microsoft Windows is usually anchored to the top of a window, therefore there can be many menu bars on screen at one time. Menus in the Windows menu bar can be accessed through shortcuts usually involving the alt key and the first letter of the menu title.Linux
KDE allows users to user to turn Macintosh-style and Windows-style menu bars on and off. It is possible to have both types in use at the same time.Ease of use
In both Windows and Macintosh operating systems, common functions are assigned keyboard shortcuts (for example Control-C or Command-C copies the current selection). Microsoft style menu bars are physically closer to the content they are associated with. However Bruce Tognazzini, former employee of Apple Computer and human computer interaction profesional, claims * that Macintosh OS's menu bars can be accessed up to five times faster due to Fitts' Law: because the menu bar lies on a screen edge, it effectively has an infinite height—Mac users can just throw their mouse pointers toward the top of the screen with the assurance that it will never overshoot the menu bar and disappear. After Apple discovered this, they claimed copyright and patent rights on the Apple menu bar.
"Menu bar"