Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!ucbvax!hplabs!hpda!hpsemc!mbk
From: mbk@hpsemc.HP.COM (Miles Kehoe)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Re: replacing the desktop metaphor (Why any metaphor?)
Message-ID: <620015@hpsemc.HP.COM>
Date: 29 Dec 88 18:45:10 GMT
References: <850@mtfmi.att.com>
Organization: HP Technology Access Center, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 51

OK, OK... 
I can feel a flame coming....

People here on the net are the hard core computer people of the world.
What we see every day is graphical interfaces, ideas of the future...
the kinds of people who come up with ideas like Apple's 'Knowledge
Navigator'.  But please, let's not forget the real paying customers
and consumers of the world (yes, many of them *DO* have 2 digit IQs)
who are the ones to buy any product any of us develop.

Next time you're doing business with one of these people in the course
of your daily living - auto repair shops, doctor's offices, retail
stores at the mall - try TALKING to the person you find there about
the computer they use.  What they like about it. What they don't like
about it.  I'd be willing to bet you will hear things like 'It prints
the receipt automatically', 'I figures out the state tax and even
subtracts the thing from inventory' (if you are talking to the owner),
or 'I can't change the entry once I hit this little arrow key'.  I'd
be *very* surprised if you heard a single user say "I like the graphical
desktop metaphor', or 'It's cool to be able to pop windows open and
resize them the way I like them' or anything *close* to the topics 
we discuss here.

When it comes to office workers (yes, many of them have 2 digit IQ too)
ask a secretary what he or she lines about their word processor, or
their graphics program which lets them make overhead slides:  You will
hear 'it changes the margins just like my typewriter'; or 'it tells
me right away if I spelled a word wrong'; or 'I can't figure out
this stuff about directories. Where did that file get put?'.  And these
are not from some idiot who cannot function otherwise as an excellent
secretary - I've heard these comments from very good, very intelligent,
very eager workers who have just not had help in learnign to use the
programs.  God forbid I should ask them to learn 'vi' and 'nroff' to
get things printed out.

So.... I invite all of you who think you see the future of computing
to walk around (off campus one hopes) and see what real people do,
want, and have in computers.  BASIC is still the primary language for
most office applications.  80x24 semi-intelligent ASCII terminals are
still state-of-the-art.  Networking is nice, but RS-232 is more likely
the connection of choice.  UNIX might be the wave of the future, but
VMS, MPE, and even RSTS and BASIC-FOUR are the current hot items.  The
MAc is seen as a neat interace for games and small stand-alone things,
but how can you do 'real work' like that?  And also... turn off that
sound - I don't want my computer making comments around my customers.

Well... probably enough said for now.  Go on - drop in at your local
independent auto repair shop - look at their Compac - see what real
customers do with computers.

mbk