pcb@cacs.usl.edu (Peter C. Bahrs) (10/04/90)
>From: sunni@microsoft.UUCP (Sunni ROGERS) >In article <4297@rex.cs.tulane.edu> keating@rex.cs.tulane.edu (John W. Keating) writes: >>Gerry@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Gerry Roston) writes: >>> >>>In article <qFuLP5w162w@zooid.UUCP> dve@zooid.UUCP (David Mason) writes: >>> >>> I can't understand people like John Dvorak at all. He seems to be a total >>> opponent to Windows. Do these people not see that Windows is much more >>> effective and powerful than straight DOS? >>> >>>This is never the case and never will be the case when you compare a >>>toy operating environment (Windows 3, Mac, NeXT) to a command line >>>oriented interface (DOS, UNIX). Now, don't get me wrong, DOS sucks >>>rocks and is horribly broken, but the ability to do things at the C:> >>>far exceeds any point and click ability. >> > > >I think this guy suffers from the "Real Men don't use Menus" complex. > These are very profound statements. Who has performed some scientific experimentation regarding usage comparisons between command line, windowing and icon interfaces. I am very interested in any R&D results. What seems intuitive is not always the case and what seems to be nice for a programmer or computer scientists might suck eggs to a user of spreadsheet or a typist. Most of the clamour and roar regarding windows seems very subjective and unsubstantiated. Prove/show to me (at least emperically) that a command line is more effective than windows/icons or vice versa. For example: I have a windowing envt on my PC but how much extra work can I digest if by monitor is just 14". I still have to pop and pop back windows everywhere. On my SUN with a larger monitor, no problem. When are the PC manufacturers going to push larger monitors now that the windowing envts are here! How can someone tell me that development of windows programs in SDK is better than being at the DOS command line? At the same time, you cannot tell me that command line invocation of Actor or Smalltalk (which is not possible) is better than the window envt. Yet I can do both in X windows. Which brings me to my conclusion about Win 3. When will I be able to compile, link and debug an application in its own environment without using an interpreter? hmmm... When I switch to OS/2 and PM ??? Or will the release of Quarterdeck's X window emulator together with its DOS multitasking make win3 on the PC seem obsolete ??? ... /*----------- Thanks in advance... --------------------------------------+ | Peter C. Bahrs | | The USL-NASA Project | | Center For Advanced Computer Studies INET: pcb@swamp.cacs.usl.edu | | 2 Rex Street | | University of Southwestern Louisiana ...!uunet!dalsqnt!gator!pcb | | Lafayette, LA 70504 | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------*/