Plan 9? (+ others)

[Mike Van Pelt]

In article <10533 at ulysses.homer.nj.att.com> smb at ulysses.homer.nj.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:
>``Plan 9'' ... is research ...  The developers started from
>several basic assumptions: ... that an intelligent user interface
>(complete with dot-mapped display and mouse) is a Right Decision;

Argh!  Mice!  I hate meeces to pieces! :-)

I certainly hope (well, actually, from what I know about the people
involved, I'm reasonably confident) that if they must design a
system that is "user (*bletch*) friendly", they make it one which
does not cripple the person who (a) knows what they're doing and
(b) is not stricken with nameless dread at the sight of a "%" prompt.

But seriously, making the system easier to learn (which you must only do
once) at the expense of making it harder to use (which you must do every
day) is a mistake which far too many people are making these days.  One of
the strengths of Unix is that it is very easy to use, at the expense of
its oft-cited "User unfriendliness".
-- 
Mike Van Pelt                     Help stamp out Mickey-Mouse 
Unisys Silicon Valley                computer interfaces --
vanpelt at unisv.UUCP                Menus are for Restaurants!