🚀 go-pugleaf

Jason Stokes <J.STOKES@student.anu.edu.au> writes:

>UNIX, and I assume its counterpart LINUX, just totally fails to hide OS details from the 
>user.  It seems I have to learn a whole new language (can anyone explain EMACSese, for 
>example?) just to operate it.  What it needs is a really good OOUI/GUI that gives 
>drag'n'drop functionality.  I've seen its windowing system, X-windows, and I don't think 
>much of it.

     The fact that the OS details are not hidden is the whole point.  You can 
reach in and get dirty and start customizing as you please.  Wonderful.  
X-Windows, with a good window manager (I recommend FVWM), is brilliant.  You 
can set it up to conform to your personal work habits.  The best GUI in the 
world is useless if it doesn't fit your style.  I HATE icons, double clicking,
dragging and dropping (kind of explains why I hate Windoze).  Give me menus 
bound to the root window so everything is ONE click away.  You have to set it
up in the first place though, making it necessary to learn a little about the 
OS.

>Using a computer is going to be as basic a skill as literacy, if it isn't already, and 
>that means people aren't going to be able to cope if they have to conform to some 
>computer scientist's idea of a handy mnemonic command.  GREP?

     To continue your metaphor, if computer use is comparable to literacy, what
can you read?  I-can-use-a-computer books, or An Advanced Study in Operating
Systems?  It compares to having a high school diploma versus a university 
degree in Comp.Sci.  Which brings us to...

>My ideal OS would assume very little knowledge for the user get started (so kids can use 
>it) but would allow progressively more detailed and lower level manipulation for the         
>technically minded.  It would also have sound technical foundations incorporating all the 
>latest OS technology, with a large capacity for expansion.  The closest thing to this 
>ideal is, of course,  
>OS/2

     The result of your ideal OS is similar to what happened to TV, and what 
might happen to the Internet.  In order to make something accessible to the 
least sophisticated of users you have to trade off some of the complexity the
advanced users want.  The result is that it will cater to the lowest common
denominator.  Primetime TV is crap because the networks have to make sure it is
acceptable to everyone (including children).  I will not use Win95 because all
of it's "easy to use, completely accessible, time saving features" will hinder
my productivity.  I cannot comment on OS/2 (I have never used it), but I doubt 
that it allows anywhere near the level of customization that UNIX et al do. 
-- 
Serve the Emperor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jon Martin * cs94367@cs.ualberta.ca * http://www.ualberta.ca/~jomartin/
Entering Department of Computing Science at University of Alberta.