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From: rb@cci632.UUCP (Rex Ballard)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: ST, Verrrrry Close...
Message-ID: <230@cci632.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 17-Jul-86 11:43:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: cci632.230
Posted: Thu Jul 17 11:43:02 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 18-Jul-86 04:40:28 EDT
References: <2130@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Reply-To: rb@ccird1.UUCP (Rex Ballard)
Organization: CCI, Rochester Development, Rochester, NY
Lines: 29
Summary: What does it do!!?!!

In article <2130@brl-smoke.ARPA> MADSON@SRI-KL.arpa (Carl Madson) writes:
>I agree that the ST provides great performance for the buck.  However, the GEM
>user interface leaves a lot to be desired.

User interfaces are as "intangable" as keyboard preferences.  The user is
likely to "get used to anything" but will always want "improvements".

>This notion
>that a 1 MIPS, 1K x 1K display (etc.) computer will take the world by storm by
>virtue of its design grows weaker each day (as the market niche for such ma-
>chines becomes less well-defined).  Hackers will probably buy in, but it's the
>larger-market potential that gets the sales people excited.  The only way we
>can keep from drowning in PC 8088/8008/4004/Selectric 'technology' is to show 
>users directly what the machine's power does for them.  Lousy code and user
>interfaces work against that.

The reason I gave those parameters was a little non-obvious.
The 1Kx1K display was given because this gives a reasonably high resolution
to an 8"x10" or 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper.  This is the "user interface"
that most people see.  For text this means a 80 character by 66 line display
can fit in a portion of the screen.  Several can fit on a "desktop".

1 MIPS because "papers" and images must be "moved", "rotated", and "located"
in real time.  Also, logical relations and associations need to be
converted to "org charts".  Even at 1 mips/user this can take 5 minutes
for a 2000 association "organization".

The "paper, pencil, and eraser" metaphor is especially apropriate.
Not everyone uses a typewriter, but who uses pencil and paper?