johnl@tw-rnd.SanDiego.NCR.COM (John Lindwall) (09/19/89)
Here's my obligatory 'nutty idea' for future Amiga OS enhancement. I guess this is really a user-interface issue. How about a new system screen (or maybe just a workbench window) called DEVICES. It would have a graphic representation of existing hardware/ software devices. It would allow connecting devices to perform an action driven by the mouse. Each device is represented by an icon. Icons may be connected by arrows idicating information flow. Example: +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ | | | | | | | ARC: |---->| XMODEM |---->| SER: | | | | | | | +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ | | | | | ZOO: | | KERMIT | | | | | +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ | | | YMODEM | | | +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ | | | | | NROFF: |---->| PRT: | | | | | +--------+ +--------+ In this example, the user has used the mouse to connect the ARC: device to the XMODEM: device, and in turn to the SER: device. When the user wants to send a arcced file over the modem using xmodem he drops the icon for the file onto the ARC: icon. This causes arc to compress the file, sending the output to xmodem, which ships it out the serial port! Neat! Fully mouse driven! To skip the ARC: step, just drop the icon into the XMODEM: icon. Note that YMODEM: and KERMIT: are also available if the user wishes to "connect" a different compression scheme into the picture. Similarly, below, the NROFF: device connects to the PRT:. Just drop you nroff file into the NROFF icon, and it gets formatted and sent out. Well, that's my idea. I like it - if you like it/hate it/don't care, feel free to email me. My mailbox is asbestos, the net is not. -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- John Lindwall johnl@tw-rnd.SanDiego.NCR.COM "Above opinions are my own, not my employer's" Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
rar@auc.UUCP (Rodney Ricks) (09/19/89)
In article <511@tw-rnd.SanDiego.NCR.COM> johnl@tw-rnd.SanDiego.NCR.COM (John Lindwall) writes: >Here's my obligatory 'nutty idea' for future Amiga OS enhancement. I guess >this is really a user-interface issue. > >How about a new system screen (or maybe just a workbench window) called >DEVICES. It would have a graphic representation of existing hardware/ >software devices. It would allow connecting devices to perform an action >driven by the mouse. >Each device is represented by an icon. Icons may be connected by arrows >indicating information flow. I had thought of something similar, but with the following additions, which might require a modification to the DOS. I was thinking that it would be useful if you could: 1) Grab a couple of files to transfer to another system. 2) Drop them on the modem icon (or xmodem icon, or whatever). 3) Double-click on the icon to open it as a window. 4) Watch the icons (or file names) disappear as the files are transferred. Also, it would be nice if the modem device could be connected by the user to a specific communications program. Being able to drop an file icon on the modem window and have the system call up, for example, ATalk III to transfer the file. Or even better, to be able to set up a device that, when a file is dropped on it, loads up a particular terminal program, calls up a particular machine, and transfers the file over to be printed out on the system's printer. Of course, this would require the user to do some script-writing, but it could be very elegant once done. Also, I was thinking that these devices could be included on the workbench screen, just like the disk devices. Since workbench is a window now (according to what I've heard about 1.4), maybe these should be in a seperate window. So, how about it, Commodore? Adding such devices would also make the Amiga even more un-mac-like, which would help you in any lawsuits that their lawyers may be thinking about. >John Lindwall johnl@tw-rnd.SanDiego.NCR.COM -- "We may have come over here in different ships, but we're all in the same boat now." -- Jesse Jackson Rodney Ricks, Atlanta University Center Computation Center
navas@cory.Berkeley.EDU (David C. Navas) (09/21/89)
In article <32278@auc.UUCP> rar@auc.UUCP (Rodney Ricks) writes: >In article <511@tw-rnd.SanDiego.NCR.COM> johnl@tw-rnd.SanDiego.NCR.COM (John Lindwall) writes: >>Here's my obligatory 'nutty idea' for future Amiga OS enhancement. I guess >>this is really a user-interface issue. > [More cool stuff about interfacing.] Correct -- wait for JazzBench 1.0 or Workbench 1.4. Even better -- somebody pay me to work on Jazz 1.0, and the work'll go faster. :-) :-) Seriously, you'll be able to write programs to do that for Jazz 1.0, I'll let Commodore tell you the neat-nifty stuff that WB 1.4 can do. David Navas navas@cory.Berkeley.Edu (I've finally got a real mailing address !!!)
bmacintyre@watcgl.waterloo.edu (Blair MacIntyre) (09/21/89)
In article <511@tw-rnd.SanDiego.NCR.COM> johnl@tw-rnd.SanDiego.NCR.COM (John Lindwall) writes: >Here's my obligatory 'nutty idea' for future Amiga OS enhancement. I guess >this is really a user-interface issue. Very much so. Actually, the idea is not that nutty. It has even been invented on another system ( SGI IRIS ) with a slightly different flavour and a different aim. If you want a reference, check out SIGGRAPH '88 Conference Proceedings. "ConMan: A visual programming language for interactive graphics" There are other such systems in use for a variety of applications ( email me if you are interested ). Anyway, on to your ideas ... >How about a new system screen (or maybe just a workbench window) called >DEVICES. It would have a graphic representation of existing hardware/ >software devices. It would allow connecting devices to perform an action >driven by the mouse. I am not enthused with the idea of using the device metaphore for this idea to the extent that you do. Having the devices available for use would be good, but I'm not sure making all these programs ( like zoo and arc ) into devices is to hot a concept. Why not try to do something like add AREXX ports to the existing programs and comunicate using them. That gives a good solid basis to go from. [ description of the visual display of programs and data flow ] >Well, that's my idea. I like it - if you like it/hate it/don't care, feel >free to email me. My mailbox is asbestos, the net is not. I like it, but lets cool down on going device crazy! It would be possible to do this with AREXX and some other tools and thus be able to add new programs to the system without rewriting them. Anyway, those are my brief thoughts. Blair -- = Blair MacIntyre, bmacintyre@watcgl.{waterloo.edu, UWaterloo.ca} // = = now appearing at the Computer Graphics Lab, U of Waterloo! \X/ = = Ignore my opinions ... they are the product of an imagination preoccupied = = with sex, or so they tell me ... *sigh* =
wilts@cavax.ab.ca (Ed Wilts) (09/22/89)
John Lindwall johnl@tw-rnd.SanDiego.NCR.COM writes: > 1) Grab a couple of files to transfer to another system. > 2) Drop them on the modem icon (or xmodem icon, or whatever). > 3) Double-click on the icon to open it as a window. > 4) Watch the icons (or file names) disappear as the files are transferred. > >Also, it would be nice if the modem device could be connected by the user to >a specific communications program. Being able to drop an file icon on the >modem window and have the system call up, for example, ATalk III to transfer >the file. . . Of course, >this would require the user to do some script-writing, but it could be very >elegant once done. You can simply add an icon for an ARexx script under 1.4 (or currently if you want to purchase ARexx) and write the script to do exactly that. You are prepared to write the script so there doesn't seem to be a problem. If you want to do it today, you could purchase ARexx and use the VLT program from the Fish disks and you can do it for even less money. Of course, Marco would rather you buy Atalk III :-) I believe that even though ARexx will be bundled with the 1.4 release, it is still a good buy today since you will get a good manual and can start using it immediately. There are example scripts on the disk to help you get started and ConMan 1.3.2 is there as a bonus. The public domain rexxarplibrary and rexxmathlibrary bindings are there as well. Things like rx 'say GetFile()' are rather short to pop up the ARP file requester and output the name of the selected file. .../Ed (Wilts%CaVax.AB.CA@UncaNet.Bitnet) Ed Wilts (403) 234-1007 Sr. Systems Analyst, Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. Calgary, Alberta, Canada