Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!sri-unix!quintus!pds
From: pds@quintus.UUCP (Peter Schachte)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Ban the Cloud! (plus sugg. for Workbench)
Message-ID: <774@sandino.quintus.UUCP>
Date: 14 Mar 88 23:11:58 GMT
References: <YW8SaQy00Xo4yUc05z@andrew.cmu.edu> <318@jc3b21.UUCP> <9247@sunybcs.UUCP>
Organization: Quintus Computer Systems, Mountain View, CA
Lines: 32
Keywords: Workbench
Summary: It's better to decide whether to create a file AFTER seeing output

In article <9247@sunybcs.UUCP>, ugpete@sunybcs.uucp (Peter Theobald) writes:
> When you select 'redirect', you then point the mouse at the input file
> 'click', then draw an arrow towards the application, 'click'. Voila! An arrow
> represents the input redirection. Or you point at the application, 'click'
> and drag an arrow to a file, 'click'. You have just redirected output.
> Or put an arrow from an application to another application. This pipes the
> output of one to the input of the other. You could have a chain of arrows
> piping output through an arbitrary number of files and applications.

This is cute.  I'd rather not have to select a menu item for this,
though.  I do like the idea of an arrow (which presumably goes away
when the application starts up).  There're a few details you'll have to
work out, though.  Firstly, how does WB know when you select a tool
whether to wait for you to select another tool to pipe the output to?
The basic idea is sound, but there are user interface ideas to be
settled.

> 	To redirect output to a new as-of-yet-uncreated file, the 'new file'
> menu choice would simply create a blank file with an icon.

It's better not to have to do ANYTHING to say where to put the output of
a process.  Firstly, that way you can't forget to do it.  In your model,
what happens when a process produces output but hasn't been told where
to send it?  In my model, this is quite clear.  My model also allows you
to see the output before deciding whether or not you want to put it in a
file, send it to another process, or throw it away.  I have no
objection, though, to what you suggested above in addition to what I
propose.
-- 
-Peter Schachte
pds@quintus.uucp
...!sun!quintus!pds