[rescue] NeXTSTEP or OPENSTEP?

[Carl R. Friend]

    On Mon, 11 Aug 2014, Liam Proven wrote:

    Hmmm.  "Drama queen".  I'll have to say that's the first time I've
been called that.

> The point of W8 was to force Windows users to get accustomed to the MS
> touch interface. The idea, I guess, was that when they caved and got a
> phone or a tablet, they'd know the UI and be comfortable.

    What they forgot, however, is that certain classes of people have
very specific needs when it comes to a computer.  Programmers and
writers need -- absolutely -- real keyboards; publishers require
screens that realistically render what the finished print will look
like; photographers who work in the digital realm need large very
precise monitors.  These are the "content producers"; everybody
else, unless he's dual-role, is a consumer.  Tablets and whatnot
work great for consumers -- and are where touch-enabled idioms are
not just OK, they're actually a very good idea; however, for the
producer, the touch idiom is not just an unnecessary distraction
it's a detriment to their work, and I think that's where the largest
complaint sector about the default W8 interface comes from.

    For instance, I spend the overwhelming majority of my computer-
interaction time working with text -- both the written word and
also code.  Windowing systems and big displays have been a large
part of my life for many years, but guess what the windows contain:
text.  I'm a sysadmin by trade and whilst it's sometimes useful to
have a smart 'phone on hand to fix some random thing that went thud,
actually using an on-screen "keyboard" is an excruciating experience
for a real typist.  If a real keyboard cannot be had in some cases,
it would be so difficult to do my job that I'd give up in disgust
(or start punching card decks).  Just imagine trying to do a 1,000
line patch to a big program with a touchpad.

    Microsoft simply made the mistake of lumping everyone into the
same bucket and trying to make one size fit all -- and for some of
those folks, who have been doing things the same way for years, the
productivity-hit of having to relearn things is vast.  And that hit
bangs on to the company they work for unless they're self-employed
in which case they own 100% of the frustration and lost-time cost.

    Cheers.

+------------------------------------------------+---------------------+
| Carl Richard Friend (UNIX Sysadmin)            | West Boylston       |
| Minicomputer Collector / Enthusiast            | Massachusetts, USA  |
| mailto:crfriend at rcn.com                        +---------------------+
| http://users.rcn.com/crfriend/museum           | ICBM: 42:22N 71:47W |
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