Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!bionet!FCRFV1.NCIFCRF.GOV!gunnell
From: gunnell@FCRFV1.NCIFCRF.GOV ("Gunnell, Mark")
Newsgroups: bionet.software
Subject: RE:X servers
Message-ID: <9102201516.AA24037@genbank.bio.net>
Date: 20 Feb 91 15:18:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@genbank.bio.net
Lines: 38


Peter Markiewicz writes:

> ...Most users don't
> think in the way that unix wants you to think. It makes good sense AFTER
> you have spent SEVERAL MONTHS working with it. The point is that doing
> the basics in unix is just as hard as doing the advanced things.

     I couldn't agree with you more.  I speak from the perspective of someone 
who provides support and training for a variety of molecular biology software 
on a variety of systems.  The majority of the researchers I assist are
challenged by the task of understanding any operating system.  The task of
understanding unix can be so demanding that it will prevent many users from
attempting to use even excellent software. 

     Because of this it seems necessary (IMHO), that the unix interface
must be hidden from view.  X Windows applications seem to be one way to
accomplish this.

>   One final note. I've used computers with virtually every OS around for
> several years, so I'm not a novice. But I still had to SWEAT BLOOD to
> setup and run a copy of MacImDat (molecular modeling). This program runs
> on the mac, but its interface is pure unix workstation. Is this the 
> future?
> -Peter Markiewicz

     Heaven help us, but the economics of marketing unix platforms make   
this a very likely scenario.

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Mark A. Gunnell                   | Internet: gunnell@ncifcrf.gov
Sci. Applications Analyst         | Bitnet:   gunnell%ncifcrf.gov@cunyvm.bitnet
Advanced Scientific Computing Lab.| Phone:   (301) 846-5779
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