Question for net.views column in UNIX Today!

[Martin Brunecky]

>         Is a single GUI standard really necessary?
 
Necessary?  Never.
Desirable?  Later.

I believe there are two components to the GUI "standard". One is the basic
driving principles:
  - select, act on selected objects, select with MB1 ....
another one are "bells and whistles":
  - keyboard equivalents, 3D look ....

In my opinion, tha basic driving principles better be "standardized", such
as we all want all the cars to have a wheel (not the controlls of a tank),
brake and accelerator.

The second part (such as where the headlight switch is or how much automatic
are your air-conditioner controls) better NEVER get "standardized", as this
would completely kill any invovation.

As the art of selecting which GUI controls are "the essential ones" is still
in it's infancy, the "desirable" standardization here should happen - later. 
For example, we still do not know if it is reasonable to demand that
MB3 press always brings up a popup menu. So while  we are pretty close to
certainity about "the wheel" (MB1), brakes and accelerator are still much in
question.

-- 
=*= Opinions presented here are solely of my own and not those of Auto-trol =*=
Martin Brunecky                           {...}sunpeaks!auto-trol!marbru
(303) 252-2499                        (sometimes also:  marbru at auto-trol.COM )
Auto-trol Technology Corp. 12500 North Washington St., Denver, CO 80241-2404