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Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.uwa.edu.au!classic.iinet.com.au!news.uoregon.edu!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!uunet!in1.uu.net!news1.digital.com!pa.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!usenet From: Jon Jenkins <jenkinsj@ozy.dec.com> Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Subject: Re: The Future of FreeBSD... Date: 20 Jul 1995 22:19:00 GMT Organization: Digital Equipment Corp Lines: 56 Message-ID: <3umkok$de2@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> References: <3uktse$d9c@hal.nt.tuwien.ac.at> <3ulsro$ssl@agate.berkeley.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: ozyd13-p3.ozy.dec.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 1.1N (X11; I; BSD/386 uname failed) X-URL: news:3ulsro$ssl@agate.berkeley.edu I wont reply to the detail of this post but I will give a completely subjective opinion of what FreeBSD needs to survive and propser: (GUI GUI GUI GUI GUI GUI )^100000000000000000000000000000 We could all learn something from MS Windows success. An easy to use GUI X development tools ala Borlands Delphi for Windows. This makes GUI development easy and quick. Probably this would be based on Xview or Motif clone maybe even Tcl/Tk but the next generation allowing users to "drag n drop" user interfaces for X. This technology is technically feasible with current tools and if done properly would without a doubt become the industry standard UNIX/X develpment tool. With this tool the basics i.e make it easy to install with simple easy to use graphical user interfaces for everthying from network setup to system configuration to file management to program development to ..., are easy and simple to develop. Once this happens the "hords" will take it form there as they have with MS Windows and develop/port all sorts of proggies to make life easier. Contrary to both opinions I dont think FreeBSD needs to be bleeding edge to survive in fact I think it would be its death nell if all this "new technology" is introduced without removing the archaic academic UNIX philosophy "if it ain't hard to use it ain't UNIX" which still pervades the UNIX mindset of both academic and commercial thinking. Jon -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: Dr Jon Jenkins Location: Digital Equipment Corp, NaC, Burnett Place, Research Park, Bond University, Gold Coast QLD, AUSTRALIA 4229 Phone: 61-75-75-0151 Fax: 61-75-75-0100 Internet: jenkinsj@ozy.dec.com Close Proximity: "HEY YOU !!!" The opinions expressed above are entirely personal and do not reflect the corporate policy of DEC or the opinions of DEC management. -----------------------------------------------------------------------