From: derek@cgrg.ohio-state.edu (Dariusz Bolski)
Subject: Re: CDTV is dead.
Organization: OSU, Advanced Computing Center for Arts & Design
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1992 20:23:59 GMT

In article <1992Aug23.165205.19521@news.iastate.edu> barrett@iastate.edu (Marc N Barrett) writes:
>In article <1992Aug23.130020.5510@uwm.edu> gblock@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Gregory R Block) writes:
>>barrett@iastate.edu (Marc N Barrett) writes:
>>
>>Get a SunRize board, its software, if I remember correctly, has an
>>ARexx port.  And it doesn't take a genius to write a simple script to
>>make use of it.
>
>   You still have to have a good knowledge of ARexx to make use of it.  I am
>talking about usability for complete novices, which is something that Amiga
>multimedia does not provide.  

Whoever is a novice shall not attempt to do multimedia. It will look like
a novice did it. Unless this person is doing it just for the pleasure reasons.

>>:    A user's nightmare.  Meaning that a person has to have a degree in
>>: computer science to do CD-ROM multimedia from an Amiga.  Nothing is 
>>: available that is ready-to-run on an Amiga.
>>
>>No, but it does take more preparation than it should.  It doesn't take
>>a genius to interface a few applicatons through ARexx, obviously. 
>
>   Computer elitism.  ARexx is a much more difficult programming environment
>than you make it out to be.  

Opinions about that vary from person to person. Programming in Arexx might
be difficult to you, but is not that difficult to our artists dealing with
computer graphics, who in most cases, had never contact with programming
before. Of course it is not an advanced programming. But just enough to have
the job done. (They never do more, they say: "I don't bother about computers,
I just need this picture to look as I want. Actually, these ten thousand
pictures" )

>In an industry where the trends are toward more
>and more user-friendliness, the user should not have to do any programming
>to get some simple task done, like use a CD-ROM disc. 

You tend to simplify the issue. 
User-friendliness could be understood as a "Nice, gently but tight 
leading of the child (user) by a mother (software)" as it is in 
the case of Mac, or a "free walk of the child (user) with the assistance 
of Mother", as in the case of Amiga. 
The first one lets child walk freely as long as child wants to go
exactly where mother wants it to go. 
The second one lets the child go wherever child wants to go.

Some people prefer to be lead by the computer and do what the computer wants
them to do, some prefer to be the actual leader.

One could use this as a criteria to differenciate an amateur from the
professional.

> If Commodore and third-
>parties do not improve the situation, which is currently causing the Amiga
>to buck completely against the rest of the computer industry, it will never
>survive.

If it will not survive it is not because of that.

>   Well, no.  I am talking about interactive sessions, with a computer and a
>user one-on-one.  This is what the bulk of multimedia is all about, really.
>And this requires a mix of colorful graphics, good-quality sound, and a high-
>resolution non-interlaced display with the ability to display text in small
>type.  

You sound like you actually did some serious research on what your target
user expects to be presented with. Our research shows that small type
can successfully defeat the presentation. Many people from the potential
audience cannot read (for example me) a small type :-(

>To see some really good examples of truly useful multimedia, people
>should take a look at some of the existing PD and shareware HyperCard stacks.
>I have several, which I have used to get my mom better aquainted with how
>to use a Macintosh.  

That is the problem. You tend to think of multimedia as it is redefined
by Appl to fit what Macs can do.

>>:    There we go again with programming.  To get anything done, a user has
>>: to be an expert programmer.  User-friendliness goes out the window.  
>>
>>You don't have to be an expert programmer to lace together programs
>>through ARexx. 
>
>    You cannot be coputer novice, either.  The fact is, the requirement of
>having to know anything about ARexx locks the Amiga out of 99% of potential
>buyers.  

First of all. I've lived for years without AREXX and have been happy user
of Amiga (or PC or Mac or other boxes ).
Thus the additional existence of REXX didn't lock me out.
Second. Addition of REXX is a user-friendliness of the system in the sense
I understand it. Now it lets me do whatever I want to do. More than programmers
or designers at the companies who wrote the software ever could think of.

>> However, power and flexibility doesn't always come as
>>idiot-capable as some would like.  But you're exaggerating again,
>>obviously.

Actually I wouldn't expect it to be that way. This is best reflected by
a message put on our server to /etc/motd file. It says: "Unix does not
prevent you from doing stupid things, because it would prevent you from
doing clever things". I tend to concur.

>| Marc Barrett -MB-  |  email: barrett@iastate.edu

Dariusz Bolski
-- 
Dariusz Bolski     Ohio Supercomputer Center, IBM POWER Visualization System
Systems Programmer Ohio State University , Columbus U.S.
                   The Advanced Computing Center For The Arts And Design
e-mail: derek@cgrg.ohio-state.edu  derek@osc.edu