Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 20:33:16 +1100 From: Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au> To: Jeroen Ruigrok/Asmodai <asmodai@wxs.nl> Cc: advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Is there a reseller program? Message-ID: <19990205203316.19436@welearn.com.au> In-Reply-To: <XFMail.990205072957.asmodai@wxs.nl>; from Jeroen Ruigrok/Asmodai on Fri, Feb 05, 1999 at 07:29:57AM %2B0100 References: <C17157B85F4AD011906400805FBE20D504CD1815@N1001SMX.nt.schwab.com> <XFMail.990205072957.asmodai@wxs.nl>
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On Fri, Feb 05, 1999 at 07:29:57AM +0100, Jeroen Ruigrok/Asmodai wrote: > > But then we hit a major issue, I use GUI because I prefer to see consoles > (xterms) in a more ordered fashion to enhance my command line work. How > will newbies with all these GUI admin tools handle themselves? They might come to assume that they can do everything by GUI and resent any commandline work. Ouch. > The strength of Unix still lies in CLI, which can be extended with > GUI. Then again, I might be worrying too much, I am just basing this > on some older Linux admin stuff I have seen which automatically > filled in some defaults for options even when one only changed a > single parameter. > > I do say that having a GUI work environment lowers the doorstep, but only > for a few secs, because the user is still confronted with CLI's ;) ...because it only makes it easy for simple jobs that don't require much knowledge or understanding before decisions can be made. We're talking about people who are used to an entirely different way of working with computers. Their idea is that the computer offers all available options, and they choose what they want. We're used to being offered nothing (overtly) and issuing commands based on our repertoire and the job's requirements. Take care not to underestimate the amount of difference that exists here. No matter how well they are provided with a seemingly familiar environment, the best we can hope for is to delay their realisation that it doesn't really work that way here. While preparing an article for this month's Daemon News (http://www.daemonnews.org) I played with Info-ZIP on various platforms. Although the recent Macintosh port was only available as a wobbly beta way back then (1.01 is out now), I was impressed with the way these conflicting needs (mindless GUI for everyday ease, and commandline for versatility) had been accommodated. All the basics could be done with menus and buttons, or by dropping a zip file on the program's icon as Mac people are used to doing. But for better control for specific needs one could click something to bring up a little commandline (almost never available on Macs!) and type in much the same as the unix commands for using zip and unzip. (Of course the man page could be brought up from the same dialog box or menu system). To the author this might have appeared as a compromise but I saw it as a great solution all round. If you happen to be near a Macintosh and curious, check it out and see if you agree. http://www.sitec.de/maczip/ If we do want to cater to GUI-addicted new unix users (and that's a big if), here's someone who has had to work through many of the same issues already and been open minded enough to find a workable solution. In doing so he demonstrates simultaneously the inadequacy of GUI for many everyday unix tools, and also its potential when called upon to do only what GUI does well. -- Regards, -*Sue*- To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
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