From: johnsd2@rs6215.ecs.rpi.edu (Daniel Norman Johnson)
Subject: Re: All GUIs are not alike
Reply-To: johnsd2@rpi.edu
Organization: Information Technology Services, Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 23:10:02 GMT

In article <1992Apr9.224352.367@news.nd.edu>, rcook@grumpy.helios.nd.edu (robert cook) writes:
|> [deletia- is OS/2 more likte Windows or MacOS?]
|> 
|> The WorkPlace Shell is a better GUI than both the Mac and Windows.

Is the WorkPlace Shell a GUI or a file manager?

My impression was that the basic GUI- file manager aside- was
very much like Windows. And that the File Manager was like the Finder.
[not that there's anything wrong with this arrangement. Maybe OS/2 just
 takes the best of both worlds. I would not know myself]

|> It is a lot like the Macintosh, but there are no menu bars on the desktop,
|> whenever you press the right mouse button, a menu appears under it.

Does it have Menu Bars in the windows? I thot it did... Of course this
does not exclude popup menus, but if you are talking about a general
GUI you kinda have to include the way Apps work too.

|> Like the Macintosh, you copy and move files by dragging a file from one
|> place to another.  WPS extends this to all objects though.  In order to 
|> print something, you can drag a file from its folder to the printer ICON
|> on the desktop:

I saw a beta of OS/2 2.0 and it did not look like this. I did have the
printer business, but the directory structure was represented as a tree
rather than as nested 'folders' (or other objects- MacOS also has
suitcases, and OS/2 can name these things whatever it likes).
That is, folders (/directories) seemed to be handled differently from other
things in the beta I say (late fall sometime)

Perhaps the IBM dude just wanted to show off the tree display or something.

PS minor point- the MacOS treats everything BUT printers in the way
   you describe- in this case that means Control Panels, Folders,
   Desk-Accessories, Fonts, Sounds and Script Systems. Just (sigh) not
   printers. <grumble grumble>

|>  WPS will launch the application it is associated with and
|> print it, but unlike the Mac you will not notice that the program had
|> to be loaded in order to accomplish this seemingly trivial task.  It is
|> a truly object oriented shell.

"object oriented" is a little bit meaningless. You may mean no more
than icon-based (which it is, at least), but it may ALSO mean a lot more.
It could be partitioned into object so that you can slip your own code inside
the Workplace shell with whatever results you like, and things like that.

I've also heard about some scheme for changing the colors of windows and
things of that sort which sounded funny- drag the colors to the thing
to be changed, or somesuch thing? Is that part of this? If so, how far
does it extend? (what else can you do that way)?

|> 
|> 
|> -- 
|> Robert Kelley Cook     << Cook.14@nd.edu >>
|> Univ. of Notre Dame     The future for Intel computers arrived March 31!
|> Physics Dept.            Long Live the new OS/2!  Time to close the Windows! 
                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Judging by the # of complaints vs compliments on Windows I see in
comp.windows.ms versus the # of complaints/compliments here, I'd
say you may well be right! [who'd have thot it? not me!]

Just like to think you for distinguishing "Intel" computers there,
and thank you in advance for answering the questions of an
Ignorant Savage.

-- 
			- Dan Johnson
And God said "Jeeze, this is dull"... and it *WAS* dull. Genesis 0:0