dave@PRC.Unisys.COM (David Lee Matuszek) (07/12/90)
> I find the best definition for a power user to be someone who uses a device > plugged into an AC socket. ;) But more seriously, my notion of "power user" is someone who prefers learning keyboard shortcuts over menu selection. This sounds like it ought to be simplistic, but I don't think it is. I am quite sure that a "power user" does NOT mean one who can patch binary code, twiddle bits, and otherwise make up for the lack of adequate tools. Hell, I've done that since 1963; I just don't like it. So I think the term "power user" refers to an attitude, or approach, not to capability. The term is loaded, I think, and suggests that people (like myself) who prefer the mouse are less proficient. While some programs with poor interfaces practically require the user to master a keyboard-based command language (let's not mention MS W*rd by name), this is not generally the case in the Mac world. There's an interesting parallel with the use of the term "power tool" in the lay world. A "power tool" does most of the work, and only needs to be guided. Similarly, a "power user" does most of the work, and only needs a minimal interface. Me, I'd rather that the tools provided the power. -- Dave Matuszek (dave@prc.unisys.com) -- Unisys Corp. / Paoli Research Center / PO Box 517 / Paoli PA 19301 -- Any resemblance between my opinions and those of my employer is improbable. < You can put a mouse on an IBM. And you can put a radio on a motorcycle. >
kenk@tellabs.com (Ken Konecki) (07/13/90)
In article <1990Jul12.034924.3770@altitude.CAM.ORG> pascal@altitude.CAM.ORG (Pascal Gosselin) writes: >I took find the lack of BATCH/SCRIPTING/CRON/PATHs on the Macintosh >to be a MAJOR limitation. So write them. After all, someone saw a need for them while working on Unix systems and wrote them. You have to remember that shells, cron, mail, etc are programs that usually come with Unix systems, but they don't have to be. >I tried >to explain to her that you could do all sorts of neat stuff with Unix, like >Usenet/Mail (try explaining that to someone who's never witnessed the >power of Unix mail facilities). You don't need unix to run mail or read news. You only need programs that understand the protocols. Cheers, -Ken K -- Ken Konecki "Eat well, stay fit, and die anyway" e-mail:kenk@tellabs.com -or- ...!uunet!tellab5!kenk U.S. Mail: 1271 Portchester Circle, Carol Stream, IL 60188