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How computers ought to work
Aug. 17th, 2006 04:24 pmThere have been some really nifty technology demos recently about the new 3D features of OS X 10.5 ("Leopard"), Windows Vista and of Linux with the AIGLX/Compiz and XGL desktop extensions. However, these are really just small extensions of the same old same ol'. An essentially flat GUI, with icons and windows lying upon it. OS X's Dashboard adds a layer of accessories over the top; XGL makes each flaty desktop the face of a cube, for a multiple virtual desktop setup which is physically intuitive - you spin around to another face of the cube for more workspace.
(Personally, I gave up on virtual desktops years ago, when I started using multiple screen machines. I'd rather have 2 or more actual monitors to work on than one monitor and half a dozen work spaces. I actually prefer multiple smaller screens to one really big one, and it's a cheap and easy thing to do. OSX "Leopard" finally brings virtual desktops into OS X, with what looks like a really smooth implementation, but I think I'd still rather have more screens!)
But all this stuff, though nice in its way, doesn't move us forward very far. It's pretty, it might add a bit in terms of usability, making arcane existing features more accessible, but it's just an incremental step. Some of the reseach out there is coming up with genuinely new ways to interact with computers. Touchscreens have their uses. I've played with Tablet PCs and their utilisation of the touchscreen is so lamentably limited it's criminal; in some ways, Psion and Newton were ahead of this more than a decade ago.
But touchscreens get far more interesting when they're multi-touch sensitive. When you can use both hands at once, and all your fingers. When they're pressure sensitive. When they can deform and represent 3D shapes as well. They're great for various types of apps, from mapping and architecture and CAD to games to multiuser shared workspaces. They're also great for things like photo sorting and handling and labelling.
And then again, there are new takes with the desktop model, such as "piles", the ability to stack icons and use them as a group. This was patented by Apple last century but it's done nothing with it. Bumptop shows some brilliant ways of using this idea.
Here is an excellent roundup of most of the cool stuff happening in GUI research in recent years, from Sun's Looking Glass desktop onwards. Strongly recommended, especially if you still think the command line is an adequate humman-machine interface. Especially check out the videos of Bumptop, XGL, and multi-touch UIs. There's a lot of video so do it when you have a little spare time!
EDIT: switch 10.5 codename from "Tiger" to "Leopard". My bad.
(Personally, I gave up on virtual desktops years ago, when I started using multiple screen machines. I'd rather have 2 or more actual monitors to work on than one monitor and half a dozen work spaces. I actually prefer multiple smaller screens to one really big one, and it's a cheap and easy thing to do. OSX "Leopard" finally brings virtual desktops into OS X, with what looks like a really smooth implementation, but I think I'd still rather have more screens!)
But all this stuff, though nice in its way, doesn't move us forward very far. It's pretty, it might add a bit in terms of usability, making arcane existing features more accessible, but it's just an incremental step. Some of the reseach out there is coming up with genuinely new ways to interact with computers. Touchscreens have their uses. I've played with Tablet PCs and their utilisation of the touchscreen is so lamentably limited it's criminal; in some ways, Psion and Newton were ahead of this more than a decade ago.
But touchscreens get far more interesting when they're multi-touch sensitive. When you can use both hands at once, and all your fingers. When they're pressure sensitive. When they can deform and represent 3D shapes as well. They're great for various types of apps, from mapping and architecture and CAD to games to multiuser shared workspaces. They're also great for things like photo sorting and handling and labelling.
And then again, there are new takes with the desktop model, such as "piles", the ability to stack icons and use them as a group. This was patented by Apple last century but it's done nothing with it. Bumptop shows some brilliant ways of using this idea.
Here is an excellent roundup of most of the cool stuff happening in GUI research in recent years, from Sun's Looking Glass desktop onwards. Strongly recommended, especially if you still think the command line is an adequate humman-machine interface. Especially check out the videos of Bumptop, XGL, and multi-touch UIs. There's a lot of video so do it when you have a little spare time!
EDIT: switch 10.5 codename from "Tiger" to "Leopard". My bad.
