[Gllug] On Linux desktops...

Richard Cottrill richard_c at tpg.com.au
Thu Oct 18 14:41:30 UTC 2001


It's a pity that this discussion could have been interesting but one of the
main protagonists (in particular) seems to insist on being unduly silly and
arguing over irrelevant semantics.

There are good user interfaces in Linux. The shells are generally
spectacularly good as far as command-line interfaces go; they're rich, and
offer opportunities for clear, simple, rich, and extensible interaction. I'm
consistently impressed the more I learn about bash features I wasn't aware
of (I find it hard to think how I worked before finding TAB).

The command-line for Linux has most of the elements that a good interface
should. They cater to new and experienced users alike. They make good use of
character/line-based interaction. The use of colour is useful where it's
available, but it doesn't discriminate against people without colour.
Excellent.

The GUI (the current paradigm for most workaday computer users - that is NOT
people who subscribe to this list) for Linux is a mess. Hopefully now the
GNOME/KDE Jihad can subside and they can settle on rolling as many
components together as possible. Perhaps they may diverge into
specialisation instead; but they should obviously stop wasting sparse
resources (developers, my patience, etc...) on muddying the waters of the
Linux GUI.

For mine this just shows that the original point stands. Linux doesn't have
a 'good' UI for the desktop. The desktop is ruled by the GUI (if you want to
argue about what that is then you can fuck off - you're obviously
emotionally retarded and should get out into the fleeting sunshine once in a
while) and Linux doesn't have a good one.

It may be a long time before the Linux GUI gets better if the closest we can
get as a community is by pointing at a character display and shouting louder
than anyone else.

Richard

-----Original Message-----
From: gllug-admin at linux.co.uk [mailto:gllug-admin at linux.co.uk]On Behalf
Of Alex Hudson
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2001 2:43 PM
To: gllug at linux.co.uk
Subject: Re: [Gllug] On Linux desktops...


On Thursday 18 October 2001 1:46 pm, you wrote:
> >I didn't say anywhere it was getting a pointer from X: it isn't. This
lynx
> > is running on a console tty, no X involvement whatsoever.
>
> Actually, you discussed the two separate cases of Lynx running on the
> console and under X.

Yes. I think the point was they behave identically :)

> >Even though I can display a bitmap in it?
>
> I must have missed that in the bash documentation.

Not bash. Check out fbi, for example.

> Clearly, but I can only go by what's actually out there; and what's
> out there are little buttons with pictures that might as well be words
> and little buttons with pictures that change (in the way that words
> might.)

Please don't mistake me for an apologist for current GUIs - I'm pretty sure
that in my first email I said that they suck :) Take the Word toolbar though
- would you prefer "Bold" or "B"? Would you prefer "right-justify" to the
bars icon? I personally think these are excellent icons, but disagree if you
must!

Cheers,
				Alex.

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