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From: hogan@rosevax.UUCP (Andy Hogan)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: UNIX like interface for MAC.
Message-ID: <640@rosevax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Sep-86 17:34:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: rosevax.640
Posted: Thu Sep 25 17:34:32 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 26-Sep-86 03:16:15 EDT
References: <8609230602.AA13387@cory.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: Rosemount Inc., Eden Prairie, MN
Lines: 43
Summary: Learning curve

In article <8609230602.AA13387@cory.Berkeley.EDU>, dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) writes:
> 	But did anyone take the time to think how long it would take to
> 	setup a typical UNIX command line?
> 
> 	cat /etc/passwd | sort -r +2
> 
> 	-Hit the 'cat' icon, the PIPE icon, the SORT icon
> 	-cat runs ... asks for a file name.  Enter the filename or have
> 	 some sort of browser w/ the mouse
> 	-sort runs, asks for options (After all, we want to sort the third
> 	 field and have the output in reverse order)
> 
> 	Thank you, I'll stick with a shell.  I don't see how anyone could
> 	make a usable enviroment out of that if it took 5 minutes to set up
> 	every command.  The only reasonable interface you could cook up 
>   for the MAC would necessarily be a simplistic one.

It takes more than 5 minutes to set up that kind of process for a new
UNIX user.  Experience counts much more strongly in UNIX than with a Mac.
I've found the learning curve on the Mac very short (not just my experience,
which I expected, but non-technical friends' also) but the curve for UNIX to 
be just slightly short of infinite-- you never really quit learning new
techniques.  And in business at least, that learning curve time costs big
bucks.  I think that is one of the big reasons UNIX has not caught on as 
a general OS.

As experience with the Mac grows, I've found, the interface begins to become
more of a burden for complex tasks.  By that time, command-key equivalents
are becoming useful, but they can't address this level of problem, either.
I think this is where the option of a command line interface becomes 
necessary (a la Amiga, and many PC programs which now offer psuedo-menus.)

One last note: a Mac UNIX should never, ever blissfully allow:

  rm -rf *

as UNIX will.  That is one real strength of the Mac that has been overlooked
so far in this discussion-- you have to work harder to make a mistake.  
-- 
Notice how they do not so much fly, as plummet. {appropriate head movement}
                                    --Monty Python (Flying Sheep Sketch)
Andy Hogan   Rosemount, Inc.   Mpls MN
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