GUIs for Everyone

An anonymous submitter writes: "A former Microsoft and Creative Labs interface designer has an interesting diatribe on the approach of Linux GUIs on the desktop. Thomas Krul has three Microsoft patents for human factors research into digital interfaces and graphic software functionality. Probably most known for the interface work he had done on Softimage DS and its web site. Though not a technical read, it does provide an interesting note on the approach for Linux on the desktop." And headless_ringmaster notes that Jef Raskin, the guy who designed the first Macintosh and author of The Humane Interface, has a SourceForge project putting his ideas into action.

Comments

Let's not worry about who copied who.

[tshak]

So far, Linux-based OS's have advantages over Windows in terms of performance, and some run cute little tab and dock apps that help launch your favorite apps (ho hum) but none of these products (OSX included) have revolutionized or even attempted to improve upon the Windows GUI.
But what did Windows revolutionize from the Mac or Xerox in the first place? Although I personally believe that Windows _has_ innovated in the GUI, it's still a good question to ponder. Another quote that I found funny when talking about the Windows interface, Windows ... It's dumb and arrogant.

Here's a great quote on the problem of Linux on the desktop:

Microsoft will continue to make a better Windows while Linux desktops will continue to emulate them, be perceived as a step behind, and ultimately be a bargin bin item.

Creative Labs?

[jra101]

A former Microsoft and Creative Labs interface designer

Creative Labs has some of the worst applications I've ever been forced to use in my life. If you have ever owned a Creative MP3 player you've run into the horror that is PlayCenter, which is a painfully slow, horribly skinned, buggy, POS very likely written in Visual Basic.

Then there is their Live!Ware software which is just as bad and comes with all sorts of "fun" things that load at startup as well as several more unusable skinned apps.

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Original?

[Dark Nexus]

Nobody wants a copy, they want something original

Well, that's obviously not always the case. Just look at Windows. I wouldn't exactly call the Windows GUI much of an "improvement" over the MacOS GUI. Even saying that Win95 was an improvement of the Mac GUI really came down to a matter of preference. There weren't any direct improvements, just differences that people liked more/less.

Now of course the climate is different, Linux is hardly in the same position Microsoft was when they released Win95, but it just goes to show that some people DON'T mind copies.

Err...

[mccalli]

A former Microsoft and Creative Labs interface designer...

Err....

Cheers,
Ian

Re:Most users pefer OSX

[denisbergeron]

If I want Linux Game I will buy games that Run on Linux insteed of game that run On Windows. Just to prouve that Linux it's also an Gaming OS !

Consider the source

[Proc6]

This,coming from a guy who's webpage only looks right on a 21" monitor or larger.

Re:Sorry, but you are the antithesis of most users

[Tryfen]

You make many good points; but this one is wrong...
The time is going to pass where people are scared of them, just like the fear of electricity, telephone, and automobiles passed.
Talk to the people who actually build and tweak their cars like you tweak your PC. People are as scared of cars as they were 100 years ago - only now they're used to the fear. Despite having grown up with cars, I have no desires to get my hands dirty in the engine - just the same as most people who have lived with computers have no desire to go to a CLI.

Take Care

Terry