Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!psuvax1!rutgers!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!netnews.srv.cs.cmu.edu!gerry From: gerry@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Gerry Roston) Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms Subject: Re: Windows 3 criticism Message-ID: Date: 26 Sep 90 23:09:02 GMT References: <4991@hsv3.UUCP> Sender: netnews@cs.cmu.edu (USENET News Group Software) Reply-To: gerry@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Gerry Roston) Organization: Field Robotics Center, CMU Lines: 32 In-Reply-To: jls@hsv3.UUCP's message of 26 Sep 90 16:25:36 GMT In article <4991@hsv3.UUCP> jls@hsv3.UUCP (James Seidman) writes: The problem with this argument is that there would be some significant risk that DOS would be replaced by, not UNIX, but OS/2. Also, I'll point out that the big trend in UNIX systems is also towards graphical interfaces. I'm working in SunView right now, in fact. I could be using the character- based TTY right next to me, but I'm not. Would you? But, the fact is, that you are using SunView to give you multiple tty-like shell windows! You are not restricted to simply point-and- click, like on a Mac. Try, for instance, to examine a file on a Mac. This is done by opening the application that created the file, which can be quite slow. The problem with graphical interfaces (without a fall-back to good ole tty-like input) is that is forces all users to some level of mediocrity. Another example of this is comparing TeX to Framemaker. Yes, Frame- maker is easier to use (for simple documents), and Yes a novice can come up to speed more quickly, but in terms of power (= flexibility) TeX has Framemaker beaten every which way! Anthing you can imagine (with the exception of graphics) TeX can do in more ways than FM can. Why? Because it is a document formatting language and is only limited by your imagination and creativity. FM (and all point-and-click systems) is limited by the original author. -- gerry roston, field robotics center robotics institute, carnegie mellon university pittsburgh, pennsylvania, 15213 (412) 268-6557 gerry@cs.cmu.edu