From: anielsen@uniwa.uwa.edu.au (Andrew Nielsen)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.computers
Subject: Re: GUIs Considered Harmful
Followup-To: alt.religion.computers,comp.human-factors,comp.windows.misc,comp.windows.news,comp.windows.x
Date: 9 Sep 1992 02:09:26 GMT
Organization: The University of Western Australia
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: mac112.wt.uwa.edu.au

"Ken Rawlings" <krawling@banana.ucs.indiana.edu> writes:
>        There are two relatively simple things that I want to do on a Mac that
>I _still_ have no idea how to do, even after reading all of the info-mac
>digests, and using Mac's extensively. 
> 
>        #1: Send a postscript file to the printer. Just shove that baby down
>            the serial connection to the printer. No, I don't want to modify
>            it in a word processor, or anything else. Here's the file, across
>            the room is a postscript printer. Send it. I've talked to
>            _numerous_ people that consider themselves "Mac Gods" and they
>            all agreed, "Can't be done without a special program, and I don't
>            know where you'd find it"

If the printer is connected to a network, you could use the LaserWriter
Utility program that comes as part of System 7.

>        #2: See this file sitting on the Hard Drive? Execute it. No, I don't
>            care that you think it's a "Document", just trust me and run the
>            damn thing. This is a _real_ problem when you have a bunch of
>            .hqx files, and have a copy of binhex4.bin that you downloaded
>            with a PC(why didn't I download it on the mac? Those beautiful
>            unstandard serial ports that I don't have a cable for and Apple
>            wants an arm and a leg for a converter for, and ComputerLand 
>            can't understand the question in the first place :-( )

That's out of context in the Macintosh user-centred environment - such a
thing just doesn't "make sense".  However, instead of using your PC as an
intermediate step, you could use some of the terrific Macintosh shareware
software such as XferIt, StuffIt Expander and so forth to download files on
your Mac directly.  These tools let you drag and drop from ftp sites and
drag and drop for decompression.  And is buying a serial cable REALLY that
much of a burden when it can save you time?  You don't have to buy Apple's
cable, there are plenty of other cable manufacturers around.

> >        These are also things that a Mac "User" like myself SHOULD be able to
> >do. We won't get into the inability to write shell scripts, or other hairly
> >issues - these are _TRIVIAL_ things that for me makes the Mac less a real
> >computer, and more an expensive Information Appliance(or Word Proccessor).

Oh dear.  If you want to write shell scripts, use DOS or Unix - use the
most appropriate tools for the situation.  Or wait for AppleScript (not
that far away) for an even more powerful scripting environment.  And I'm
glad to see you're thinking of the Mac as an applicance - that's part of
the whole philosophy.  Wait till you see Newton...

_________________________________________________________________________
Andrew D. Nielsen                    Internet : anielsen@uniwa.uwa.edu.au
Computer Support Officer             AppleLink: AUST0190
Winthrop Technology                  
The University of Western Australia                    Tel: +61-9-3801757
NEDLANDS WA 6009   AUSTRALIA                           FAX: +61-9-3821688
Newsgroups: alt.religion.computers,comp.windows.misc,comp.windows.x