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What Will The Future Desktop Interface Look Like?
b O b 1 9 19 A writes "The TechZone has an interesting article wondering where computer interfaces are going. They discuss some alternatives to the traditional desktop, and propose a framework in which future interface designs may be evaluated. From the article: 'The next 10 years will be a transitional phase for interface design. 3D rendering technologies already have a stable home in the entertainment, video game, simulation, and design sectors. Although 2D interfaces have dominated everything else, I expect we will start seeing more 3D incursions. Operating systems and applications are beginning to capitalize on what 3D has to offer. The precise nature of how and where 3D can best be incorporated is an open question, and a framework to evaluate these questions seems appropriate.'" Big-time ad alert. Set your ad and flashblockers to stun.
device that lets you move onscreen objects by just thinking about it. We can do a brain-controled 2-d cursor easily now, better stuff will be on the way soon.
This looks cool.
A desktop system with easy-to-program (read: the average consumer can do it) widgets and interfaces. Probably with some nice web services integration. People who just need to read email and surf the web only need a couple widgets, maybe a mail checker or something. People who work in offices and do really repetitive tasks have ways of easing that through the widgets (again, very easy to program/setup widgets!).
I think anything that allows people to really use their computer the way they want would be great. I'm not saying it doesn't already exist, but I mean something where nearly everyone becomes accustomed to using a computer as a configurable tool. Something where all those times people say, "Well, I just want it to do [this]!!", they can easily set it up to do whatever it is.
Just my thoughts.
Everything I need to know about copyrights I learned from Slashdot.
It is sad that anyone has the vision of people still sitting in front of displays ten years from now. My prescription, switch to glasses with very high resolution across the full field of view but the ability to be transparent too, give the computer multiple cameras placed strategically around the room so that it has a full 3D view, integrate head position detection and a point of view camera into the glasses also, and then create an interface where the computer places virtual objects in your environment in a natural fashion. i.e. Let's read virtual books on our real desk, see the images of people we're talking too remotely as if they are sitting in a chair in our office, have virtual office decorations, have a virtual whiteboard that we can stand in front of and interact with (just a blank space on the wall that the glasses allow us to see as a whiteboard for a while), etc. i.e. augmented reality should be our 10 year vision.
Ah, all that would be well and good. But what if the computer recognized that by "last week" it might include a couple days before or after the seven day period ending on the previous Saturday, particularly if there were no claims letters sent to Bob or Robert or Rob strictly "last week". And by "current spreadsheet", you don't mean the excel document you have open, but the up-to-date sheet of claims information your company has on record. Though when you refer to the "current spreadsheet" in 5 minutes, you'll be talking about a completely different document.
Picking up context to apply to keywords in a document or "reading" a document isn't difficult. Actually applying context to natural language and making accurate decisions about them is what's useful.
And of course, I'd much prefer, "I've got the claims letter you submitted to Bob last week-- it's approved. Shall I attach the current spreadsheet and forward it to Dave? I'll let you know if there are any changes..." but that might be asking a bit much. For now.
With the Enterprise computer able to do so much, why were these lowly human controlling it?
I think we're already approaching an asymptote in desktop UI. Future interfaces will be faster, smoother, have live raytraced shadows and hardware transparency and blah, but they'll be basically the same windows and mouse thingy as they have been for the last decade and a half. The big shift won't be better general UI, it will be a trend away from general UI and towards a profusion of single-task small devices with custom UI. Example, ipod. Another example, satnav units for cars.
I know this is suicide on slashdot, but take a look at the WinFS PDC demo.
How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
Have you ever held a speech for 8 hours in a row? You don't want to do that. Believe me.
;)
Okay, we can say that what we need is something that *fast* in usage. There are only a few "interfaces" of you body that are on a thing you could call the "fast lane" we humans have in our brains. These are mainly the hands and the speech system (mouth and throat muscles).
So those two interfaces make sense, but using speech only makes sense if you use all informations avaliable, meaning mood/emotions and the subtile "meaning" in how it sounds.
Else you can stay with the hands.
Or even better: combine them.
But the best would be of course a direct neural adapter.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.