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Re: [Gnu-arch-users] is there demand for itla?


From: Tom Lord
Subject: Re: [Gnu-arch-users] is there demand for itla?
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 14:53:05 -0800 (PST)


    > From: address@hidden

    > Targeting beginning users is what a GUI is for. The first screen in my
    > (very alfa) GUI tool shows only the need for updating and committing
    > changes.

    > Naturally lots of little features that support this are possible, but
    > (for example) revision management will not be a first priority for most
    > users, I believe most users will get by without using previous versions
    > at all.

    > All non-direct features are not immidiately visible.
    > This is the difference between a GUI and a command line tool.

    > Ok, defending a not-yet-published tool is a bit silly;  but I'm sure
    > you get my drift.  GUI tools still capture the minds of most beginning
    > users.

Yup.

Also don't forget that ITLA can help to make your GUI more general.

Right now you're saying "Ok, I'll identify a core subset of basic
functionality, and optimize the GUI for that."

That's obviously a good thing to do and itla doesn't change that fact.

But in the longer term, the "work flow functions" implemented in ITLA
_become_ the core subset of basic functionality -- on a project by
project basis.

The way that ITLA can help is by describing the interface to that core
functionality in a "declaritive" way -- data structures that say "Ok,
here are the commands; here are the options to each command; here are
the types of argument each command needs".

If we can cons up a GUI that translates those data structures into
"forms", that gives us an instant, project-specific GUI.   And while a
generic translation of declarations into GUI interface is likely to be
far from perfect from a human-factors perspective, it's far better
than nothing and, ideally, the "translation engine" would have hooks
that let people customize the GUI for particular commands.

-t





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