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From: boris@world.std.com (Boris Levitin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Where does UNIX fit in a graphically-based computer world?
Message-ID: <1990Sep5.224940.19185@world.std.com>
Date: 5 Sep 90 22:49:40 GMT
References: <1990Sep5.202652.700@sun.soe.clarkson.edu>
Organization: The World @ Software Tool & Die
Lines: 31

anthonjw@clutx.clarkson.edu (Jason W. Anthony) writes:
>I began to wonder how UNIX would fit into [a mainly-GUI]
>world....
>It would seem UNIX would be in direct opposition to a "GUI" (Graphical
>User Interface) world since it is completely character-based and also
>very cryptic.  However, we do see UNIX appearing on many mainframes,
>workstations, and even as A/UX on the Mac, which doesn't seem to be
>very popular (price being one reason).  UNIX also I think is considered
>the (or one of the) most "powerful" operating systems in existance.
>So, if the world is indeed going GUI, will UNIX fade away, or will
>there try to be some kind of combination of the two?

UNIX is not in direct opposition to a GUI.  Xwindows and its various
toolbox sets (such as Motif and Open Look) is rapidly gaining
popularity, and the only thing that stands in the way the acceptance
of machines running it in the mainstream personal-computing world is their
lack of general-purpose ("productivity") applications (also, it would
help if the prices dropped some more, because although Sun, Apollo and
HP machines offer a much better price/performance ratio than the Mac, your
average business user doesn't need 12 MIPS and doesn't want to pay for it).
I believe both these problems will gradually disappear in the coming years.
Then everything will depend on HP's and Sun's marketing (that might be quite
a snag).

Boris Levitin
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