pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann) (09/04/88)
In article <4975@netnews.upenn.edu> bell@eniac.seas.upenn.edu.UUCP (Mike Bell) writes: > OK everyone, how about we stop Mac Bashing. I am a programmer who works >with both machines, and I think that the comments made above are pretty >biased. On the Mac, you dont need a command line. If you want to open document >Y created with program x, you point to the icon of the document and open it. >The program that created it is automatically invoked. You dont need a command >line; the operating system takes care of it. This "you don't need a command line" business is ok for very simple setups, but it turns into a real pain very quickly. This applies equally to the Mac, GEM, Windows, etc. The problem? What You See Is ALL You Get. If you don't see it, you can't use it. Thus, if you have any significant number of resources on your system, you must go through significant contortions to make sure the most-used things are well organized in your file system so they will be easy to find *visually*. And in order to access many things, you've got to go hopping around with your mouse to bring up various directories until you get to the area you are looking for. This is a Real Pain. For a single-use enduser's workstation, where they typically do just one or two things (DTP, or spreadsheet, or plain word processing), it isn't bad. But for the 'power user', a visual-only interface just gets in the way for much work. It is MUCH easier for me to type a 4 letter command acronym for any of my typically performed jobs than it is to search around on my screen for the same thing and click on it. Put another way: visual is nice when you aren't sure what it is you are looking for. Once you are familiar with the system, visual shells can get in the way! That's my 2 cents! Pete -- OOO __| ___ Peter Holzmann, Octopus Enterprises OOOOOOO___/ _______ USPS: 19611 La Mar Court, Cupertino, CA 95014 OOOOO \___/ UUCP: {hpda,pyramid}!octopus!pete ___| \_____ Phone: 408/996-7746