[Hampshire] My 2p on the GUI 'Wars'

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Author: Stephen Davies
Date:  
To: hampshire
Subject: [Hampshire] My 2p on the GUI 'Wars'
As a professional software developer who has been writing programms
since the days of Card Decks, George 3 , SOFOR and paper tape, I find
this latest craze on desktops (Gnome 3, Unity & Windows 8) rather
depressing.

(Ignoring the 'touchy feely' of touchscreens that everyone seems to rave
ove these days)
If they had been around at the birth of GUI/Windowing systems I would
have understood them.
Now IMHO, this searching and every icon on the desktop idea is frankly
so silly, it beggars belief.

In 'no' work mode, I use (like most people ) a set of apps that number
no more than say 10. Email, Web, Skype, Bittorrent etc
I could live with the methodology of the new interfaces if I could have
the old menus for those times that I need something out of the ordinary
and have ho idea of the executable or icon but I know it belongs in a
group associated with a product. A hice hierarcihial tree structure.
Very Logical.

In work mode the standard set of apps I use goes up considerably. Not
all are 'installed via traditional installers in order to save time, I
use (on windows Quick Launch (yes you can get it back even on Windows
7/Server 2008) and the Gnome 2 launchpad.
One click of the mouse and The app starts. Now what could be more
logical or simpler than that? Yet the GUI - Those who must be obeyed
Overlords have deemed that I am no longer fit to have this nice easy to
use facility. It is almost as if they are telling me that I'm about to
be pensioned off so I am only fit to use a Fisher Price Interface.

Yes, many of you are thinking that I'm a grumpy old man. That is
probably true but IMHO, these designers have taken something that wasn't
totally broker and made it only fit for the great trashcan in the sky.

I know I'm fighting a losing battle and very soon you won't be able to
buy a new computer without one or other of these 'Tellytubby' interfaces
or even remove what the manufacturer has installed for you without fear
of a knock at the door from the IP Police (my name is not winston smith)
but I know one this:-
1) I will never buy a computer that forces me to use Windows
8/Windows-RT Windows 7/Server 2008 will be the last offereings from
Microsoft that I ever use.
2) I will never use a computer that has Unity or Gnome 3 configured as
the primary Interface unless I can configure it to use something a bit
saner and more logical.

A plague on all their houses.

Stephen D



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