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From: whh@pbhya.PacBell.COM (Wilson Heydt)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.misc,comp.sys.next,comp.sys.mac,comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: replacing the desktop metaphor (Why any metaphor?)
Keywords: desktop metaphor, graphical interfaces, computing environments
Message-ID: <22616@pbhya.PacBell.COM>
Date: 27 Dec 88 00:37:13 GMT
References: <850@mtfmi.att.com> <673@cogsci.ucsd.EDU> <1489@umbc3.UMD.EDU>
Organization: Pacific * Bell, Oakland, CA
Lines: 39

In article <1489@umbc3.UMD.EDU>, cs374326@umbc3.UMD.EDU (Peter Johansson) writes:
> I'm also curious just what percentage of the end-user computing market
> the graphical interface has captured, and what their opinions of it are.
> After all, these computers *are* for "the rest of us."  I'm certainly not
> saying that computer programmers (read: non-end-users) should be limited
> to 80x24 text screens, it's just that from what I see, it's the programmers
> using the new hypermedia, and the (majority?) of users are left with their
> kludgy operating systems ans displays (?)  This user prefers a nice unix
> $ prompt, emacs, C, TeX (LaTex), and a vt100.  Then again, I'm not making
> millions of $$$ either.

I not you typical end user--I'm a programmer.  My wife, however, writes
(fantasy mostly).  She doesn't care how the system works--so long as it
*does* work and doesn't get in her way.  What she likes is unix, the C
shell, vi and nroff.  Let me note here that the reason she likes vi is
because she is a very fast typist (>100 wpm) and she never has to take
her hands off the keyboard--this is why she *hates* mice.  The commands
are all normal keyboard keys (with very few exceptions) and she finds it
very easy to use.  The preferred formatter is nroff to supply manuscripts
to editors.  They want 10-pitch, constant width output.  Note that this
practically rules out any of the standard Mac fonts.

My son is in high school.  He also uses vi and nroff without difficulty,
so please spare me the flames about difficult to learn and use.  He's been
using vi since the 5th grade.

I never found the Mac (or other graphical and mouse) interfaces particularly
intuitive.  The command-line interface doesn't leave you guessing which button
to push how many times once you learn to finish commands with a carriage return.

       --Hal

P.s.  Loved the scenario.

=========================================================================
  Hal Heydt                             |    "Hafnium plus Holmium is
  Analyst, Pacific*Bell                 |     one-point-five, I think."
  415-645-7708                          |       --Dr. Jane Robinson
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