guis– mediating the experience ats 315. the glass teletype
TRANSCRIPT
Metaphors
• The move command “mv” is a metaphor—it makes it seem like a file is “moving”.
• mv a6.c /output
• Nothing is really “moving”—the file allocation table is just being changed…
Metaphors
• The file allocation table used to say that the file “a6.c” was in some directory and resided on the disk at some address.
• Now the table says that the file is at that same address but refers to some other directory.
Metaphors in Windows
• How do you move a file in Windows?
• Drag and Drop
• How it really works:– Communicates with the mouse– Fancy graphics on the screen– Triggers a “mv” command “behind the scenes”
Metaphors in Windows
• So there is a metaphor (icons, folders, etc.) separating you from another metaphor (mv) which separates you from the real work (changing the file allocation table).
Metaphors in Windows
• Control Panel
• The Recycling Bin
• The Pointer
• Mr. Paper Clip
• The Desktop
• And about a zillion more!
Apple Saw This In 1984
• Introduction of the Macintosh at the Super Bowl.
• Looks a LOT like current computers.
• Made computers something anyone could use.
Apple Saw This In 1984
• No command line at all!
• In you couldn’t do it with a mouse, you didn’t do it at all!
• A one-button mouse!
• A sealed case!
Apple’s Culture
• It took special tools to open the case.
• Opening the case voided the warranty.
• No command line = no hacking.
• Only Apple can build Macs.
• How Apple makes money.• Makes the computers very expensive.
Microsoft
• Windows (before XP) was really just a beautiful DOS program.
• When Windows crashes, you just end up in DOS again.
Microsoft
• PC hardware was a free-market – other folks designed it, and competition made it cheap.
• Cheap = good, so Microsoft took over the world!
» Cheap also means ugly.
How Microsoft Makes Money
• By selling operating systems.
• Make more money selling imperfect software than they would selling perfect software!
– Why?
“Mac Vs. PC” Wars
• The battle was about aesthetics, technology, philosophy, etc.
• But the real difference that changed everything: the closed hardware of Mac and the open hardware of PCs
– Macs were expensive and exclusive and basically disappeared.
– PCs were cheap and cheaper all the time. They took over the world.
The Result of the War
• Apple: Addicted to selling hardware to small, captive markets.
• Microsoft: Addicted to selling operating systems to the whole world. No motivation to fix problems, make it beautiful, easy, etc. (Dinosaurs)
• Cheap hardware: fertile ground for Linux. (furry mice)