| Except that before GUIs became popular amongst programmers, the "technically unwashed" all used the command line. Someone may try to claim there were no "technically unwashed" people using computers back then. That would be false. The "technically unwashed" never asked for GUIs. Programmers forced them to use GUIs the same way they previously forced them to use the command line. And in each case the "technically unwashed" proved they could use computers when they needed to use them. CLI or GUI. It did not matter. Only programmers debate merits of one versus the other, not the "technically unwashed". HN commenters believe they can speak on behalf of the "technically unwashed". Of course they cannot. In any event, this submission is not focused on programmmer opinions about which is easier to use. We know what Microsoft thinks about GUIs vs command line. We know Steve Jobs thought. But neither Microsoft nor Jobs is "the technically unwashed". Instead the submission is focused the notion of easier to _share_ (cf. use). It also mentions creativity. GUIs limit choices in a way that the command line does not. Decisions are made for the "technically unwashed" through the design of the GUI. For example, programmer thinks/believes "User will want to do ____." Then he adds a button for ____. Unfortunately this can lead to abuse as the programmer can also _prevent_ the user from doing things. Authors of GUI programs try to predict (dictate) how computer owners will use them. The programs are generally inflexible and do not work well with other GUI programs. There is no concept of "pipes" that allows users to be creative. GUI programs can give programmers the ability to express _their_ creativity while at the same denying such creativity to the "technically unwashed" computer user. The later is not consulted in the design of the GUI. All decisions rest with the programmer. The GUI represents the programmer's preferences and aesthetics, not those of the "technically unwashed" user. A recent comment on HN was someone complaining about how he could not file a claim on statefarm.com because some programmer had to indulge their love of some Javascript framework. For the programmer, no doubt their work was a thing of "beauty" or some such. For the computer user, it was not. It was an impediment to getting something done. |
Not even remotely factual. Technically unwashed before GUIs is before PC so that means mainframes. And mainframes did indeed have 'terminals' but the interface 'drawn' on these terminals were basically ascii-art GUIs.