> From: Bráulio Bhavamitra <[email protected]>
>
> Adding highlevel commands, even though it could be implemented by a
> simple alias, would put git in another level of user experience and
> create a new standard for newbie users. What git developers think
> about this?
It's a great idea, but beware that doing such a thing is project that
is much more difficult than it first appears. Here's a bit of an
orientation:
Computer-literate people have highly complex mental models of how
computers and operating systems do what they do, and geekly
conversation is made up mostly of an exchange and comparison of these
models.
Users do not want a complex mental model of their dishwasher and
fiercely resent attempts to instill one. It makes them feel put-down
for not having one and yet, at the same time, they know they neither
want nor need one. All they want to know is what to set the knob to.
They are appliance users and they want the computer to act like an
appliance. [...]
As Tim Hunkin points out in his TV series, "The Secret Life of
Machines," an appliance interface is the most difficult and
sophisticated interface that can be constructed. To allow people
accomplish a complex task without possessing a mental model of the
process is extremely difficult.
-- "Ask Mr. Protocol" by Michael O'Brien
It takes deep understanding (both of the tasks to be done and of how
users think) to produce a user interface that does *not* require deep
understanding to use.
As for "What do the developers think?", it's clear (from looking at
the current user interface) that the developers aren't particularly
interested in solving that problem. But if you (or a group of people
you recruit) produce such an interface for Git, it would likely be
quite popular.
Dale
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