Article View: comp.sys.mac
Article #35891Re: replacing the desktop metaphor
From: Miles Kehoe
Date: Thu, 29 Dec 1988 18:08
Date: Thu, 29 Dec 1988 18:08
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1992 bytes
Before anyone gets too excited about IR connections to computers
hanging around...
1) IBM does have a very high quality monochrome monitor that is
about 2 inches thick - it looks great, but right now is just
an intelligent ascii terminal.
2) An IR link to my computer would be great - but don't forget
the 20 other people who sit in the same general 'room' with
me with 60 inch cubies around each of us. I don't want my
IR getting in their way, and I sure don't want my password,
notes postings, rantings and ravings to be bouncing around
to their screens.
3) Desktop metaphors are fine for metaphors, but what about
so much of the world that wants a command line interface
badly? The Unix gurus who fight desktop metaphors every day
have managed to make AUX get held up in delivery (or is
there another reason they haven't apparently sold a zillion
Unix versions the were hoping to sell?). Real customers
(ie, the ones who pay commercial computer manufacturers to
design and build systems) often think the desktop metaphor
is cute, but when it boils down to it, they want to fill
in their customer forms which look "just like our manual forms"
and they don't particularly care if behind the scenes of
their accounting package there is a desktop, a command line,
or a little man or woman who gets the work done. Just make
sure this order gets entered and billed.
(This is why the rest of the world doesn';t get excited about
x-windows, ms windows, or anything more dramatic than their
$500 vt-100 clone can do.....)
Miles Kehoe
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!ucbvax!hplabs!hpda!hpsemc!mbk From: mbk@hpsemc.HP.COM (Miles Kehoe) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: replacing the desktop metaphor Message-ID: <620014@hpsemc.HP.COM> Date: 29 Dec 88 18:08:53 GMT References: <4362@pitt.UUCP> Organization: HP Technology Access Center, Cupertino, CA Lines: 30