Hello All,
Yesterday I visited an old couple who had problems with their pc. While
the problem was minor, I noticed that they were very unfamiliar to
computers and were using it only to send and receive mail from their
children abroad. They had noted everything down in a letter pad and
would refer to it and try to figure out their way on the screen. The
email program too was difficult to navigate as it had a lot of options
and buttons.
This kept me thinking about a desktop thats totally different from the
current windows clones and is totally a reflection of real life. I
recollect Rajeev demonstrating a file browser like that in the wireless
LUG meet. Later when I met Krish, he told me about gnowsis
http://www.gnowsis.org/ but I just visited their site today and find
that it still has standard interfaces and is more dedicated to relating
data rather than an innovative interface to access data.
So how about a totally different desktop that actually looks like a real
life situation. For example, it will have simple but large and realistic
looking icons for letters/envelopes = email, documents = office suite,
music system = music player, television = movie player etc. Now come the
main part. There should be no windows as we use today. An email program
should open up graphics of a full size page with a pen on it. The user
only types on that page and then presses an adjacent big button that
reads 'Put letter in envelope'. Then the letter folds itself and puts
itself inside a big envelope. The envelope then faces the user waiting
for an email address. The email address appears as its typed and in bold
letters across the envelope. Then the user chooses from 2 big buttons
that read 'Post this letter' or 'Post it later'. If 'Post this letter'
is selected, the envelope will drop itself inside a big red post box.
Similarly, a real life photo graphics environment can be used in place
of windows for office, music, video and other applications.
While all this may look very silly for us, it will be a big boon for
those users who feel intimidated by computers and dislike the window
environment. I am sure there are projects going on in this direction but
if we can be first in linux to do it, it will give linux a quantum leap
into home desktops. Since linux is secure, once a firewall is running,
linux will not even need an anti-virus to constantly update. This system
in other Indian languages should become very popular with the rural
population who has no knowledge of computers or even those who are semi
literate.
Regards,
Rony.
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