I disagree with a couple of points. For one, there is no reason that a character based app can not be written to validate data inputs just as efficiently as a GUI. Users can be forced to choose from a list of pre authorized values by a number of means. An assigned function key which brings up a box of options which can be highlighted and selected for example.
Also, IMHO the primary usefulness of "a GUI" (lets face it folks, we're talking about the Microsoft Windows GUI) is the fact that so many people already know how to use it. Heck, even my technophobic 75 year old mother knows that "Files" is on the left side of the menu bar and "Help" is on the right. Employers can bring people in to an organization and be reasonably sure that they will be able to do some useful work on a computer system quickly because the "look and feel" of their GUI is a soft, cuddly, familiar face to just about everyone. Its not more efficient. It requires more resources. It increases the overall complexity of the application and therefore increases the probability of failures. Unfortunately, the bottom line is that users like it. Since we write software for users we need to use the GUI. -----Original Message----- From: Dawn M. Wolthuis [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 9:19 AM Excellent point -- that is also my main issue with terminal emulations that look pretty. A GUI interface does more than look pretty -- it helps prohibit any invalid data from being entered. There are much fewer "data entry fields" in favor of point and click on drop downs and such. Of course, the point and click slows folks down. Software developers of packaged software have the issue of needing to make all of the data entry approaches look way cool and yet ensure that in those cases where there is still a need for fast data entry, the users will not reject the software. The primary need for GUI's that are clicky-clicky is handled well enough with a variety of tools and such applications can often function just fine within a web browser (using jsp or asp for example). It is always harder to add in new stuff than the remove the old and I'd like to see something that will let us remove any need for character-based, terminal emulation software from our production environments, without losing their great features that have kept us using them these many years. Cheers. --dawn Dawn M. Wolthuis Tincat Group, Inc. www.tincat-group.com Take and give some delight today. -- u2-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.oliver.com/mailman/listinfo/u2-users
