Newsgroups: alt.os.multics,alt.sys.pdp10,alt.folklore.computers,comp.lang.lisp
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!harlqn.co.uk!harlequin.co.uk!dem
From: dem@harlqn.co.uk (David Miller)
Subject: Re: Retro-Computing!
In-Reply-To: THUNDERONE@news.delphi.com's message of 30 Mar 1995 08:59:38 -0500
Message-ID: <DEM.95Mar30162101@caxton.harlqn.co.uk>
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References: <D5yxwn.5BG@sdf.saomai.org> <BILLW.95Mar26154351@glare.cisco.com>
	<3ledga$rcr@news2.delphi.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 16:21:01 GMT


> Modern Operating Systems attempt to adapt to the human's needs.  Old 
> Operating Systems require the human to adapt to them.
> 

Crap!   MOS are interfering bollocks designed to get the the way
of the user ( a serious user, rather than the poor slobs that the
software has to put up with being misused by)
.set rant on
Prospective users should have to pass exams to see if they are the sort
of people we are prepared to allow to get near our software!
And QA ! disciples of the devil sent to try and make us Holy Coders
look bad by ingnoring the nioce algorithms and pointing to the boring
bits like exception handling that no real user would ever need because
they wouldn't enter the wrong stuff.
If you'd played STRTRK you would learn to type the right data at
the right time
.set rant off


> With varying degrees of success for both, of course.  It's not an 
> accident that Macintosh has a Human Interface rather than a GUI.

This time in all seriousness; Crap! 
Its a pain I can't find ANYTHING on a Mac.
I can't enter an original command and I
can't tell what the hell is running at any time.
Fortunately I use the thing very rarely.

I use and like NT, mainly because it lets me run lots
of command shells to type at and is my program goes paws
up I have some chance of debugging it (usually) without
losing the system.

I use and accept unix because at least there is a command for
everything and a MANual system.
I approve of X insofar as it moves the junk of displaying things
away from the program processor.

I suppose however that things like PCs needed pretty graphics
because when you are on your own there isn't much point in 
worrying about scheduling or batch of asking the operator
to load you a mag tape.

Wankgroups has brought back the most important element of Computing;
software which you can write and set off and let it run around on its
own, skipping from system to system being an end in itself rather
than some dat-in-data-out application.  Yawn.

Sigh! If ANF-10 had only had a few more bits in the station field
we could have *been* the InterNet.

The only thing the -10 lacked was filename completion, and we could
have stolen some code from OPR and made up a run-me-at-command-prompt
program to do it.  Or a hot key for MIC perhaps?

Tch, the youth of today, etc.

--
D.M.

David E. Miller |  " I am assured that my      |  Orinoko  at Labyrinthe
Harlequin Ltd   |   opinions are mine alone "  |  Jax-Ur   at The Gathering
Cambs UK        |                              |  Obsidian at Mayfest
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