Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!batcomputer!munnari.oz.au!metro!dmssyd.syd.dms.CSIRO.AU!ditsydh.syd.dit.CSIRO.AU!news
From: George.Bray@syd.dit.CSIRO.AU (George Bray)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: the interface for the rest of us?
Message-ID: <1991May6.092635.27914@syd.dit.CSIRO.AU>
Date: 6 May 91 09:26:35 GMT
References: <3461@trlluna.trl.oz>
Sender: root@syd.dit.CSIRO.AU (Tony.Reeves)
Reply-To: George.Bray@syd.dit.CSIRO.AU (George Bray)
Organization: Sand Consulting, on loan to CSIRO for the HyperBook Project.
Lines: 32

GO are doing the right thing licensing their operating system
for many platforms. In the early stages of acceptance this will
foster great price competition among hardware vendors, like Windows
does today.

Wide-area wireless networking, however, may prove difficult
to implement over the muliplicity of operating systems and
protocols we use today.

Nevertheless, I think they will be quite popular.

Notebook computers will be first widely used by consumers,
not producers, of information. The GO book interface is a great
metaphor. Most people are readers.  To quote Chance* (the gardner)...

       "I like to watch..."

When these devices are connected to the wireless networks, there will
be plenty to read. Until then it will be aquired by  drawing, typing, and 
'physical' information transfer (floppies & LANs).

Let's face it - the "installed-base" for books and pens is pretty large. 
If the GO illusion is anything like the BYTE and MacUSER articles,
they will be inviting people to experiment with a computer using the
tools they already know.

*  Chance The Gardner, played by Peter Sellers in the movie "Being There".

George Bray
CSIRO Division of Information Technology    >         Phone: +61 2 887 9307
PO Box 1599  North Ryde  2113  AUSTRALIA    >           Fax: +61 2 888 7787
Internet:   George.Bray@syd.dit.CSIRO.AU    >    CompuServe:      72711,253