Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!gatech!bloom-beacon!husc6!mit-eddie!mit-amt!mit-atrp!ralph From: ralph@mit-atrp.UUCP (Amiga-Man) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: HackBench - a Workbench clone Message-ID: <1369@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> Date: Tue, 14-Jul-87 11:38:01 EDT Article-I.D.: mit-amt.1369 Posted: Tue Jul 14 11:38:01 1987 Date-Received: Thu, 16-Jul-87 05:47:12 EDT References: <160011@wsucshp.UUCP> Sender: usenet@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU Reply-To: ralph@ATRP.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Amiga-Man) Distribution: na Organization: MIT Amiga Users Group c/o MIT Cognitive Info. Processing Group Lines: 55 In article <160011@wsucshp.UUCP> kinner@wsucshp.UUCP (Bill Kinnersley ) writes: > >> I'll either fix it or write a new Workbench....Big project, but >> big win. Anybody doing this already (please ?...so I don't >> have to ?). > >Well, OK, it sounds like a good idea so I did it. > Fantastic ! You've done a great deed by allowing us all to understand how we can improve the system at least for ourselves. And perhaps CBM might take a few hints from a good working example of an improved WB to put in 1.3 (or is that too late now ?). I hope it's CBM's goal to make the WB the best user interface in the business. It is already a major win though the ability to multitask with th erest of the system. I'd just thought I'd throw in a few conclusions I came up with about how things could be improved: - Cluster icons into a single file, so drawer opens are immediate. Don't indicate how hard it is for developers to manage their icons. What really counts is what the most USER-hours are spent doing ! I know that FACC should help here, but that is a secondary solution. The first open will still be slow, and if you are searching for something you're out of luck. Unfortunately, I suspect this requires a cloned info.library, instead of a new WB. However, I suspect that even the present WB would work with a new library. Anyone up for that one ? It just needs to be "call" compatible with the present one. From looking in the documentation it may not be too hard. - Support a new form of file requestor which lets you pop back to the WB and select the icon there, then pop back to the program. Heck, we started it from an icon, KEEP IT GOING FROM ICONS ! Consistancy is *vital* in a good user interface. - Support iconification of running programs, AND allow passing icon shift-selects into iconified programs. I.E. start my editor up again (from it's iconification) and open a buffer with THIS(pop to WB and shift-select file icon) file. The iconification should use the original icon too, maybe slightly modified, and would probably be out on the workbench. - Allow a field in the "tool types array" of the icons, which let you designate the run-time priority of the program you are starting up. - Support the running of CLI-type scripts from the WB. I know there are rough tools for this, but it should be supported naturally. These ideas come from someone who uses the WB *ALL* the time, unless I get *forced* to use the CLI (which happens way too much for a professional icon based user interface). By the way, I consider myself a serious power user, not a beginner, although a beginner would benefit from these features too. Note to CBM folks: please pass these ideas to the people there who think about such things. Thanks !