[Wylug-discuss] Linux GUI design [Was CUPS]

[James Holden (WYLUG)]

Dave Fisher wrote:
> On Fri, Feb 27, 2004 at 10:51:38AM +0000, James Holden (WYLUG) wrote:
>
>>So I'm not the only one who thinks CUPS is a shoddy pile of rubbish:
>>
>>http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cups-horror.html
>>
>>Seriously though. I've always said that printing on Linux is seriously
>>lacking, and needs addressing if we're ever going to achieve world
>>domination. It makes me wish I had the time to make some serious
>>contributions in this area.
>
>
> Clearly, Eric Raymond's point was not that CUPS and Linux printing in
> general are pants ... although they clearly are.
>
> I think his main points were that:
>
> 1. Almost all Linux GUI design is poor because it doesn't deliver the
> things that GUIs are supposed to deliver.
>
>   No, not endlessly repetitious themes, widget sets, and frameworks, but
>   discoverability and relief from the requirement to understand and
>   memorise every function and configuration in the system.
>
> 2. That this is a serious problem, even for techies who never use GUIs,
>   because most I.T. systems are bought and paid for by people who aren't,
>   and never will be, Unix hackers.
>
>   i.e. Linux heads like ourselves will continue to suffer the negative
>   consequences of a Windows-dominated I.T. ecosystem so long as we leave
>   Microsoft with a monopoly over desktop systems.
>
> 3. Linux will never get any serious traction in desktop computing until
> its developers treat 'dumb end-users' seriously, and develop software
> from the perspective of said users.
>
> I suspect that some WYLUG members will find such views quite abhorent,
> but I would like to set off a _serious_ debate about this issue.
>
> Ideally, I'd like to assume that Raymond's perspective is correct and
> discuss the positive things that can be done to rectify the situation,
> but if there are insuffient numbers of people willing to make that
> assumption, I am more than happy to make the case for it.
>
> Dave

Oh no, I entirely agree with you. Eric happened to highlight an example
that's caused me quite some grief in the past though. It was nice(?) to
see somebody else in pain with it, if you see what I mean.

Although I've not seen it myself, Xandros seems to be gaining a
reputation for cleaning up the GUI design to produce a desktop-oriented
distro for the clueless. As you say, some may find the concept of trying
to ape Windows a bit disturbing, but like it or not, MS products have
the polish that our own apps often lack. That's a serious issue.

Linux is mostly there for the corporate desktop where you actually do
have a sysadmin to make it all work for you, but home users are where
the roots of the evil empire are firmly embedded.

James