Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watdragon!bmacintyre From: bmacintyre@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Blair MacIntyre) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: User interface(was Re: Xerox sues Apple!!!) Message-ID: <19420@watdragon.waterloo.edu> Date: 20 Dec 89 08:45:25 GMT References: <6767@tank.uchicago.edu> <1989Dec17.112127.27333@me.toronto.edu> <14960@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <1989Dec17.223025.6618@me.toronto.edu> <14969@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <2468@jolnet.ORPK.IL.US> Reply-To: bmacintyre@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Blair MacIntyre) Organization: University of Waterloo Lines: 43 swan@jolnet.UUCP (Joel Swan) writes: >In article jacobs@cs.utah.edu (Steven R. Jacobs) writes: >: >:Menus and mice are great when you are first learning to use a system, but >:they get in the way of experienced users. An ideal system should not >:_force_ the user to use a mouse/menu system, just as an ideal system >:should not _force_ the user to type commands. An ideal system should >:allow the user to use _either_ the mouse or the keyboard, based on the >:preference of the user. Neither the Mac nor the PC are even close to >:ideal in this regard. ..... > >Hmm. Sounds like an Amiga to me. Now's the time to take a closer look. Sorry Joel, while I like the Amiga a lot, I'm forced to disagree. What Steve is talking about is this ability _within_ programs. The Amiga WB/CLI combo qualifies, which is what I assume you were talking about. The Amiga as a whole system, however, doesn't cut it. Programs for the Amiga display such a huge amount of inconsistency between user-interfaces that it can't even claim to be an intuitive mouse system half the time. Not to even suggest what you claim. I'm surprised no one has noticed what I consider the main reason the Amiga hasn't, and may never, drive the Mac out of any of it's niches. What I'm talking about is inconsistency, which is caused by the very features that make it a great machine. For example, the variety of colours available, which vary wildly from program to program, and don't seem to like _my_ preferences! And little things, like a lack of clipboard (never really was a hit, I'm not sure why) support. And the lack of standard menus ( even though Commodore suggested a nice starting place with the entries in the file menu ). The Mac still wins hands down for professional appearance and user-interface consistency. For the "occasional" user, it is the easiest to learn, IMHO. -- -- Blair MacIntyre, Professional Leech on Society ( aka CS Graduate Student ) -- bmacintyre@{watcgl, watdragon, violet}.{waterloo.edu, UWaterloo.ca} -- Date, verb: prearranged socializing with intent.