Asri-unix.523 net.unix-wizards utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!hpvax!sri-unix!gwyn@UTEXAS-11 Thu Jan 14 21:36:12 1982 Naive users The Bell ad stated that one does not have to be a programmer to use UNIX, and that is correct. I don't believe anybody has ever stated that one doesn't have to know what one is doing to use UNIX or any other computer system. I've seen children and other casual users pick up enough to operate UNIX in short order, but that is not to say that they were particularly efficient at it. Some form of training would seem essential for any technological device. I wish automobile drivers were better trained, too. If one is really confronted with users who can't be bothered to learn how to drive a UNIX, then a special interface is required if they are going to successfully operate the system. Such an interface should walk them through the steps required to accomplish the desired goals. A naive-user interface cannot give users access to all aspects of UNIX, for then they would have to learn what they were doing, and they would no longer qualify as truly naive. Experts and novices will always have different needs. There is no reason to restrict experts to an interface fo Interestingly, the UNIX shell is usable by beginners (with some training), whereas a restrictive command interpreter would be unsuitable for expert program development. The new Office Automation System is described as having a menu/form- oriented interface for office workers rather than a normal shell. This is the right approach to make any system accessible to those who don't care about the details of how it works. ------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/ This Usenet Oldnews Archive article may be copied and distributed freely, provided: 1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles. 2. The following notice remains appended to each copy: The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.