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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
Re: [Gnu-arch-users] is there demand for itla?, Clark McGrew, 2003/11/17
Re: [Gnu-arch-users] is there demand for itla?, Stephen J. Turnbull, 2003/11/18
Re: [Gnu-arch-users] is there demand for itla?, Andrea Arcangeli, 2003/11/18