Tog and the interface (was: ID computer)

From: Merle K. Peirce <at258_at_osfn.org>
Date: Thu May 24 08:41:25 2001

I am just going to note that while I do prefer a command line to a GUI,
not all GUI's are created equal. In Windows, IU find myself fiddling
most of the time with the OS rather than actually accomplishing anything.
This sort of activity is largely masturbatory rather than productive. I
don't enjoy playing with Bill's little bits. I find switching from my
Amiga to a Windows loss gives me a 30+% loss in productivity.

On Thu, 24 May 2001, Alan Pearson wrote:

> > If you ever worked on a Xerox, where you had the copy/move/prop/...
> special
> > keys on the left hand side of your keyboard you'd know how easy handling
> can
> > be ... unlike todays interface, where you use the mouse for several thing,
> > here the little critter was only a pointing device, while you selected
> most
> > functions via keys (and your left hand).
>
> Heck yes, it's *way* better that what we've ended up with! I reckon things
> started going downhill when somebody dreamt up the menu bar - the original
> Star interface had a button bar across the top of the window where you could
> get at the few functions you couldn't provide by the left-hand keypad. None
> of this "hunt the menu option" rubbish you have to do now.
>
> IMHO the Star interface was, and still is, about as good as you're likely
> to get with the windows-icons-mouse paradigm. Look at the fuss Microsoft
> made about making the desktop more "document-centric" - that's what the Star
>
> desktop was all about in the first place! Something was lost when Apple
> implemented their own version of it, which Microsoft then copied.
>
> Al
>

M. K. Peirce

Rhode Island Computer Museum, Inc.
Shady Lea, Rhode Island

"Casta est quam nemo rogavit."
              
              - Ovid
Received on Thu May 24 2001 - 08:41:25 BST