::scr Drooling GUI

[Dorian Moore]

Hello All,

I've just joined the list [been lurking on void for a while, and heard about
this list via London-IA]

on 7/3/02 11:58 the person going by the name Michael Stevens at
mstevens@etla.org spake :

> On Thu, Mar 07, 2002 at 11:46:42AM +0000, Simon Wistow wrote:
> [snip]
>> The alternative would be niche OSs - a designer's OS,
>> a programmers' OS,
> 
> Linux! 

As we're touting operating systems, and the ST has already mentioned, may I
bring back something from the Amiga which I, and I know a great many others,
found useful... Screens. These are simulated within Windows, but the ability
to completely change interface from one screen to another [and with the
Amiga's hardware, also change screen resolution] did give the ability to
jump from one environmental metaphor to another : given enough RAM. And it
have a command line interface for the programmers.

In a way, I see apple as having done this with OS X, bringing back the
programmers interface and giving people the ability to hack with it. But
AQUA sticks us in this metaphor world which says : this is how you are going
to work. The interface is actually very ugly and clumsy to me. Having all
these windows with some depth definition by drop shadows doesn't really
focus me on the task at hand. I still get distracted by other applications.

If you switch screen your computer can appear to be dedicated to the task at
hand. This is what KPT software was experimenting with in their approach.
Remove the native interface and provide one which is appropriate to the tool
at hand. Many windowing environments allow you to do this [notably within
X-Windows managers like KDE]. But is it the 'desktop' behind which cause the
problem. 

But most applications developers don't want to re-invent the environment
that the user works in, and so use the OS toolbox to create their interface,
borrowing from what they  feel the user is already familiar with and
applying it to the process at hand. When an interface comes along that
challenges this the audience will always be divided. Like in any revolution.

_d._
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