I think a big part of the problem is that we're speaking as if GUI interfaces can all be lumped together as one user interface style. We all quietly accept that roll and scroll is one style of character based user interface, but no one stops to consider whether there aer different styles of GUI interfaces? I'm somewhat at a disadvantage when it comes to coming up with examples because I'm not a Linux user and so will not be able to provide examples that are Linux desktop applications. But consider Outlook with its list of objects (messages) and separate pane representing the contents of that message, and compare this with a tabbed propery dialog, or even Word which provides the ability to highlight changes to a document and then give you the ability to accept or reject those changes. They are different user interface models corresponding to different tasks or usage patterns. Whether you consider these designs to be good or bad isn't really the point. Rather, it is that user interfaces can be created (possibly through user customization) to support different usage patterns. Roll and scroll is just one paradigm: In some cases it may be just what you want, and in others it may not be. (After all, why do we have ScreenMan and List Manager? Clearly *someone* thought a different pattern of interactions was called for in at least some applications!)
=== Gregory Woodhouse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Tao of VistA: If all you see is MUMPS, you see nothing. ------------------------------------------------------- Using Tomcat but need to do more? Need to support web services, security? Get stuff done quickly with pre-integrated technology to make your job easier Download IBM WebSphere Application Server v.1.0.1 based on Apache Geronimo http://sel.as-us.falkag.net/sel?cmd=lnk&kid=120709&bid=263057&dat=121642 _______________________________________________ Hardhats-members mailing list Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members
