What other GUIs _were_ there prior to the Macintosh?
The first GUI I used was GEOS on the Commodore 64. I'm not sure whether that came out before 1984 or not (probably not). The only other one I know from that area is the Atari ST's TOS, and I'm pretty sure the Mac predates that.
Of course, I'm really talking about home use. Certainly the Xerox GUI predated the Macintosh, and w (the windowing system X is an improvement on) might be old enough, but you couldn't get those to run on anything the average consumer could buy in 1984.
Like I said, though, everyone in the US wants to play (American) football, not rugby. I'll bet New Zealanders start playing rugby when they're 3 years old.
But I guess I'm going to see what Einsturzende Neubauten's "Strategies Against Architecture" does for me when I need to "crank" out my homework programs...
The current state of broadband access is shockingly incosistent. Consider the following:
In my hometown of Hammond, IN, AT&T is offering cable Internet access, or at the very least the service is imminent. Hammond has _some_ commercial growth, but is far from being a booming metropolis. And 56k doesn't even work properly yet... we get better results not using it and connecting reliably at 28.8k!
Our infamous neighbors, Gary, are also slated to get the same AT&T cable Internet "soon". However, I can't imagine who in that city could afford the $40 a month, and the equipment is liable to get stolen the day after you get it. (I may be exaggerating, but there is a definite poverty and crime problem there)
Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, home of all things American (well, Miller beer and Harley-Davidson motorcycles anyway...) and location of Marquette, my university, AT&T simply says cable Internet is not available. That might have something to do with the fact that our cable provider is Time Warner and not TCI^H^H^HAT&T.
But, it gets worse... Road Runner cable Internet service (I hope it's faster than their Web site) is not scheduled to be launched until sometime in 2000. In fact, we don't even have digital cable yet, while at my real home we've had it for a couple of years!
It doesn't make any sense... How can a relatively insignificant place such as NW Indiana be more technically advanced than a large, important, All-American city such as Milwaukee???
Oh wait... NW Indiana is in the Greater Chicago Area(TM), even though it's across the state line, so I guess it automatically gets all the benefits that Chicago gets. My bad.
Still, I would not expect such a long delay between large cities getting these technological advancements. It doesn't make any sense!
Can we point to the FCC's complacency as a root cause of this, or are the cable companies at fault?
Mangles vocabulary less?? Check out what it does to this story (English -> German -> English):
Lost in the translation
Communicated by CmdrTaco on Thu October 14, 22:48 CDT of they ain't you ain't kidding the department of jet luggage does not write " this is really message for nerds. It is not actual even messages (of 1996) it kinda is however there, which is confessed on something by the fun in connection, that, we with babblefish in the past to have had, it seems the relevant kinda. One of the documents chix0rs at the work showed this out here to me. Check from this interview with okayMadonna. ", normally became I not somewhat in such a way, but to communicate, if you need a laughter, it even read. It is worth your time. (more read... | 35 comment)
Dunno... maybe the translation to English is the broken part.
My school put UltraPenguin on all its Javastations. Now you usually have to log in twice from the Javastations because the first time you log in, X goes down and restarts.
Its incredibly annoying, so unless I want to use the school's paper, I usually log in from my Solaris box, do my work, then FTP all the files I want to print back to my system.
P.S. While we're talking about crashing X servers, on x86, XSun (aka OpenWindows) crashes every time if you try to use Window Maker with a background image, if it's not been configured with --disable-shm. There is a patch for Solaris 2.6 that fixes the problem, but none for Solaris 7...
Celebrity Deathmatch (If you like Quake 3...) 120 Minutes (the "alternative" show... one day they played a Ministry video, so you might get lucky) AMP (the "electronica" show)
What happens if you use it on a publicly-accessible computer?
YOUR credit card gets billed when the next person clicks on an item!
The security problems with this system are horrible, IMHO. How does the system know whether the person entering the one click is the same person who registered the credit card?
Never mind whether it's patentable or not, it's certainly not a good idea unless it can be ensured that every computer (ok, or userid for multiuser systems) in the world has one and only one person that can access it.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the single action is speaking of a sound.
17. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is clicking a mouse button when a cursor is positioned over a predefined area of the displayed information.
18. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is a sound generated by a user.
19. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is selection using a television remote control.
20. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is depressing of a key on a key pad.
21. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is selecting using a pointing device.
22. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is selection of a displayed indication.
It still sounds a lot like the "cookie" system to me. I could see if the patent were just for speaking a single sound where this might be an innovation. But IMHO this is too general to hold up.
Unless marketing == release, marketing is NOT a part of the Software Life Cycle. And I'm not too sure release is actually a phase... Also, testing is supposed to be performed as an integral part of each step.
As someone stated earlier in this thread, you used to use NeXTStep (cap?) as your development OS until you needed OpenGL, then you switched to Windows NT.
I guess I have several questions then. 1. What are your favorite features of the UI of NeXTStep?
2. Do you like anything better about Windows NT than NeXTStep besides the fact that you can use OpenGL on NT?
3. For both NeXTStep and Windows NT, which "features" do you most wish were either not present or worked radically different than they did? (_Are_ there any such features on NeXTStep?)
4. What features would Linux need for you to switch to using it over NT?
Test for mechanical UI's have shown that most people expect the 'positive' pole of a modal device (positive == 'on' 'yes' 'OK' 'save' accept' etc) to be down for vertical switches
How can that be, when just about ever switch I've ever seen has "up" for "on"???
As I understand it, evolution was left out of the official state guidelines for what is supposed to be taught in schools. Therefore, each science teacher can choose either to teach it or not to teach it.
However, national media seem to have distorted this to mean that evolution will not be taught.
DISCLAIMER: My information is based on what the local newspaper in my real hometown reported when the decision was made. Therefore, due to biased reporting or the effects of time, this may not be 100% accurate either.
... If you find any sites that still work, and still have useful information, let me know.
I decided to check out gopher sites not too long ago, but out of all the sites I checked, the server either doesn't want to connect, has no info, or the info is 3 years old.
MYTH: Linux does not support important ease-of-use technologies such as Plug and Play, USB, and Power Management.
FACT: Plug-and-play is in fact fully supported on industry-standard PCI bus computers. Power Management and USB are still only in very limited use on the desktop, but projects to improve these technologies' implementations on Linux are in progress.
MYTH: The complexity of the Linux operating system and cumbersome nature of the existing GUI's would make retraining end-users a huge undertaking and would add significant cost.
FACT: The GNOME and KDE desktops work approximately like Windows itself, making retraining virtually non-existent.
MYTH: Linux application support is very limited, meaning that customers end up having to build their own horizontal and vertical applications.
FACT: With over 4145 applications available, customers have many pre-fabricated software solutions available. Better yet, many of those applications have the source code available, meaning that customers can customize these applications for their specific needs.
Any bozo can do this. But it takes a genius to get the facts and myths mixed up.
Conclusion: Linux is in fact a viable alternative for the desktop and will only inprove over time.
Slashdot Mirror
What other GUIs _were_ there prior to the Macintosh?
The first GUI I used was GEOS on the Commodore 64. I'm not sure whether that came out before 1984 or not (probably not). The only other one I know from that area is the Atari ST's TOS, and I'm pretty sure the Mac predates that.
Of course, I'm really talking about home use. Certainly the Xerox GUI predated the Macintosh, and w (the windowing system X is an improvement on) might be old enough, but you couldn't get those to run on anything the average consumer could buy in 1984.
Well, congrats to him.
Like I said, though, everyone in the US wants to play (American) football, not rugby. I'll bet New Zealanders start playing rugby when they're 3 years old.
Ummm... what exactly is .int used for? I've never seen a domain name ending in .int.
I usually have the TV on.
But I guess I'm going to see what Einsturzende Neubauten's "Strategies Against Architecture" does for me when I need to "crank" out my homework programs...
What if your home PC can't stay up for an entire year?
Let's hope there are versions for OSes more stable than Windows 95...
The current state of broadband access is shockingly incosistent. Consider the following:
In my hometown of Hammond, IN, AT&T is offering cable Internet access, or at the very least the service is imminent. Hammond has _some_ commercial growth, but is far from being a booming metropolis. And 56k doesn't even work properly yet... we get better results not using it and connecting reliably at 28.8k!
Our infamous neighbors, Gary, are also slated to get the same AT&T cable Internet "soon". However, I can't imagine who in that city could afford the $40 a month, and the equipment is liable to get stolen the day after you get it. (I may be exaggerating, but there is a definite poverty and crime problem there)
Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, home of all things American (well, Miller beer and Harley-Davidson motorcycles anyway...) and location of Marquette, my university, AT&T simply says cable Internet is not available. That might have something to do with the fact that our cable provider is Time Warner and not TCI^H^H^HAT&T.
But, it gets worse... Road Runner cable Internet service (I hope it's faster than their Web site) is not scheduled to be launched until sometime in 2000. In fact, we don't even have digital cable yet, while at my real home we've had it for a couple of years!
It doesn't make any sense... How can a relatively insignificant place such as NW Indiana be more technically advanced than a large, important, All-American city such as Milwaukee???
Oh wait... NW Indiana is in the Greater Chicago Area(TM), even though it's across the state line, so I guess it automatically gets all the benefits that Chicago gets. My bad.
Still, I would not expect such a long delay between large cities getting these technological advancements. It doesn't make any sense!
Can we point to the FCC's complacency as a root cause of this, or are the cable companies at fault?
Yeah, but here in the US we're glad to have actually MADE the Rubgy World Cup... well the .0001% of us that care anyway...
Everyone else is watching those "athletes" that need helmets, pads, and rests every 10 seconds... go figure.
Mangles vocabulary less?? Check out what it does to this story (English -> German -> English):
Lost in the translation
Communicated by CmdrTaco on Thu October 14, 22:48 CDT of they ain't you ain't kidding the department of jet luggage does not write " this is really message for nerds. It is not actual even messages (of 1996) it kinda is however there, which is confessed on something by the fun in connection, that, we with babblefish in the past to have had, it seems the relevant kinda. One of the documents chix0rs at the work showed this out here to me. Check from this interview with okayMadonna. ", normally became I not somewhat in such a way, but to communicate, if you need a laughter, it even read. It is worth your time.
(more read... | 35 comment)
Dunno... maybe the translation to English is the broken part.
it might get somewhere.
My school put UltraPenguin on all its Javastations. Now you usually have to log in twice from the Javastations because the first time you log in, X goes down and restarts.
Its incredibly annoying, so unless I want to use the school's paper, I usually log in from my Solaris box, do my work, then FTP all the files I want to print back to my system.
P.S. While we're talking about crashing X servers, on x86, XSun (aka OpenWindows) crashes every time if you try to use Window Maker with a background image, if it's not been configured with --disable-shm. There is a patch for Solaris 2.6 that fixes the problem, but none for Solaris 7...
was #34 :(
There are only 3 shows worth watching:
Celebrity Deathmatch (If you like Quake 3...)
120 Minutes (the "alternative" show... one day they played a Ministry video, so you might get lucky)
AMP (the "electronica" show)
BTW... 31st post!
You could do that with Doom, except it required a 3-computer network.
Ummm... id software actually put out the following:
Catacombs 3D
Hover Tank
Hover Tank II
before Wolfenstein. All are 1st-person 3-D shooters, except the 3-D part isn't fullscreen.
If you have the id Anthology box set, you'll know what I'm talking about here.
What happens if you use it on a publicly-accessible computer?
YOUR credit card gets billed when the next person clicks on an item!
The security problems with this system are horrible, IMHO. How does the system know whether the person entering the one click is the same person who registered the credit card?
Never mind whether it's patentable or not, it's certainly not a good idea unless it can be ensured that every computer (ok, or userid for multiuser systems) in the world has one and only one person that can access it.
See these claims:
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the single action is speaking of a sound.
17. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is clicking a mouse button when a cursor is positioned over a predefined area of the
displayed information.
18. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is a sound generated by a user.
19. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is selection using a television remote control.
20. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is depressing of a key on a key pad.
21. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is selecting using a pointing device.
22. The method of claim 11 wherein the single action is selection of a displayed indication.
It still sounds a lot like the "cookie" system to me. I could see if the patent were just for speaking a single sound where this might be an innovation. But IMHO this is too general to hold up.
"And here's your starter for ten. In the 'development lifecycle' of software, what comes after marketing?"
Wait a minute... I was not aware that "marketing" was a part of the software life cycle. As far as I can remember it goes
Requirements
Specification
Analysis
Planning
Architectural Design
Detailed Design
Coding
Release
Maintenance
Unless marketing == release, marketing is NOT a part of the Software Life Cycle. And I'm not too sure release is actually a phase...
Also, testing is supposed to be performed as an integral part of each step.
Wow, I though plasma diplays disappeared years ago.
So, exactly what are the advantages of plasma displays over what the current LCD technology can offer? It seems higher resolution isn't one of them...
As someone stated earlier in this thread, you used to use NeXTStep (cap?) as your development OS until you needed OpenGL, then you switched to Windows NT.
I guess I have several questions then.
1. What are your favorite features of the UI of NeXTStep?
2. Do you like anything better about Windows NT than NeXTStep besides the fact that you can use OpenGL on NT?
3. For both NeXTStep and Windows NT, which "features" do you most wish were either not present or worked radically different than they did? (_Are_ there any such features on NeXTStep?)
4. What features would Linux need for you to switch to using it over NT?
Test for mechanical UI's have shown that most people expect the 'positive' pole of a modal device (positive == 'on' 'yes' 'OK' 'save'
accept' etc) to be down for vertical switches
How can that be, when just about ever switch I've ever seen has "up" for "on"???
Do you have sources for this?
As I understand it, evolution was left out of the official state guidelines for what is supposed to be taught in schools. Therefore, each science teacher can choose either to teach it or not to teach it.
However, national media seem to have distorted this to mean that evolution will not be taught.
DISCLAIMER: My information is based on what the local newspaper in my real hometown reported when the decision was made. Therefore, due to biased reporting or the effects of time, this may not be 100% accurate either.
... If you find any sites that still work, and still have useful information, let me know.
I decided to check out gopher sites not too long ago, but out of all the sites I checked, the server either doesn't want to connect, has no info, or the info is 3 years old.
Guess what?
There's RealPlayer 5, but not RealPlayer G2.
So we're still screwed.
I know that there is a movie named Antarctica with a great soundtrack by Vangelis.
I have three questions:
1. Is that related to this book in any way?
2. Has anyone seen the movie?
3. Is it any good?
I disagree. The one sensible choice is clearly Larry Wall.
...or does it?
MYTH: Linux does not support important ease-of-use technologies such as Plug and Play, USB, and Power Management.
FACT: Plug-and-play is in fact fully supported on industry-standard PCI bus computers. Power Management and USB are still only in very limited use on the desktop, but projects to improve these technologies' implementations on Linux are in progress.
MYTH: The complexity of the Linux operating system and cumbersome nature of the existing GUI's would make retraining end-users a huge undertaking and would add significant cost.
FACT: The GNOME and KDE desktops work approximately like Windows itself, making retraining virtually non-existent.
MYTH: Linux application support is very limited, meaning that customers end up having to build their own horizontal and vertical applications.
FACT: With over 4145 applications available, customers have many pre-fabricated software solutions available. Better yet, many of those applications have the source code available, meaning that customers can customize these applications for their specific needs.
Any bozo can do this. But it takes a genius to get the facts and myths mixed up.
Conclusion: Linux is in fact a viable alternative for the desktop and will only inprove over time.