“Imagine a future in which you could tell your computer to move a folder inside another, and just by pointing with your finger, it would happen. Or being able to command your computer to print your vacation pictures on the nearest color printer, and not have to supply any more configuration information.” The article is at InfoWorld.
MIT Project Shows Future Interface Technologies
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“Or being able to command your computer to print your vacation pictures on the nearest color printer, and not have to supply any more configuration information.”
Imagine if you worked in a room with about 45-50 other people seperated only by cubicles, all commanding their computers to do stuff at the same time.
“Or being able to command your computer to print your vacation pictures on the nearest color printer, and not have to supply any more configuration information.”
While this is done with a mouse and not finger gestures, retinal scans, or voice, Novell’s iPrint already offers functionality similar to this. You have a floor map of your office (or offices located anywhere in the world) with printers highlighted on the map. Basically, you click on the one you would like to print to and it prints on that printer.
No more figiting with drivers or emailing a contract in Word format to your office in Japan, just print it to their printer with a click. Very cool.
Too bad Novell doesn’t know how to market anything.
while technologies already offer dynamic configuration of network resources, new ways to interface with a computer are more or less all failures. why? they are much less efficient that the GUI we have today.
3d, voice, and touch screen are all less efficient than a mouse and keyboard.
the revolution in computer interface will come when humans can control a computer as easily as we can recall a memory or decide how to control our fingers or walk.
other than that, a screen interface can not be made more efficient than the GUI we have today.
I think this is the kind of revolutionary stuff Dvorak was refering to when he said that it was about time the Macintosh was simply discontinued!
http://www.osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=1243
Such interfaces can impact web technologies in a big way.
The computer industry needs just that. Something radically new and innovative.
But it has to be insanely great, not just some sloppy implementation.
What’s even more interesting about this is that while parts of it may be patented, much of it will be in the public domain!
We may yet live in more interesting times
ciao
yc
With folks like MS controlling the future of computing, I have little faith in the future of computing & will probably retire before the real damage is done. Well we all know the joke about if BG had designed the car,…
But the Segway vehicle & Dean Kamens company proves that some people really know how to get outside the box & create something that is about as simple as can be, just wish I could borrow one for a time. If these guys might turn their attention to human compter interfaces, that would be something to look at!
No! Touch screens are much more efficeve than a mouse. (depending on application)
And (depending on your prefrences) a keyboard is more effective than a mouse, but then this is not about efficivness, it’s about control. A “End User” still gets confused when configing a printer (hell, setting a default printer in word is too much for some people!) This will give the user more control over the computer, without having to know anything about the internalls.
I’ll have to agree with “New interfaces – Blah.” Some people seem to think there is something wrong with the standard windows interface. It works great for me – especially with such additions as mouse acceleration, gestures (in Opera), and the scroll wheel.
I used to prefer the console interface to the windows interface. I always thought I could do things way faster in DOS than I could in Windows – until I started using 60 character folder names and file names. I found the ~ tilde ~ key ~~ really ~ fast ~~ though.
I’ve seen Microsoft’s website for their “revolutionary” 3D interface and the OSNews article for it. What a waste of time. It looked complex, disorienting, and a general pain-in-the-ass to use. Everything they managed to accomplish has already been made easier with “workspaces.”
Depending on application, I don’t think voice interfaces aren’t that great either. For things like writing documents people generally do a much better job with pen & paper. You can visually organize your ideas. Best to stick with keyboard unless you’re a slow typist. For things like coming home and saying “light on,” “dim lights,” or “Earl Gray – hot” I think it’s awesome.
The same goes for touch-screens. I think they are great for things like kiosks, where you want to keep the interface simple and digital. I admit I haven’t used it for everyday tasks, seems most appropriate for portable devices though. I guess it’s something to consider – just keep your pizza fingers off my screen.
I think I’ll just stick with windows-keyboard-mouse for now.
Part of the problem with these projects is they try to use so much AI. Creating more intuitive interfaces does not always need AI.
Also why is AI not being adopted in the mainstream. How much AI do you use in day to day computing? What happened to all the work form the Japanese 7th Gen Project?
“Japanese 7th Gen Project” ?
You must be referring to the 5th gen project that caused quite a stir back in the 80’s about leaving the west behind in applying AI to new computer architectures. The Alvey papers was the usual UK civil servant counter measure. I don’t think the US AI groups worried about it too much!
AFAIK it all came to nought, just lots of MITI reports.
MITI only ever did one major project well, & that was to get Japan big time into semiconductors, even then they only focussed on DRAMs & it worked well for 20yrs. But recently Japan has lost most of that market share to Taiwan, Korea & USA! These mega MITI schemes are now passe.
As for knocking AI for the sake of it, well go ahead. Arthur Clarke would have said something about technology appearing to be like magic to those too dumb to understand it.
AI is not after replacing your KB & mice. It has more to do with data mining, finding connections between things, making complex things look simple. It is in widespread use but doesn’t get on TV anymore.
With folks like MS controlling the future of computing, I have little faith in the future of computing & will probably retire before the real damage is done. Well we all know the joke about if BG had designed the car,…
I don’t see anyone trying to market any of these ideas or technologies. You can’t blame the failure of some new technology when it was never marketed; even by the worse marketing company in the world.
rev·o·lu·tion·ar·y
adj.
1.
a. often Revolutionary Relating to or being a revolution: revolutionary war; a museum of the Revolutionary era.
b. Bringing about or supporting a political or social revolution: revolutionary pamphlets.
2. Marked by or resulting in radical change: a revolutionary discovery.
ev·o·lu·tion
n.
1.
A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form.
2.
a. The process of developing.
b. Gradual development.
Ok, now … does anyone see the particular revelence? Just because something is different, doesn’t mean it’s revolutionary. That’s become a very, very over-used term due to overenthusiastic/dishonest marketing types the world over.
Having your document print to the nearest color printer is not exactly something to set the world on its ear, now is it? Neat feature, sure. Revolutionary? Nope. Evolutionary? Possibly. One of the understood assumptions of evolution is that the change is for the better, compared to previous generations; “better” being defined as it survives while previous generations fall by the wayside.
Enough pseudo-intellectual mutterings … it’s way too early in the morning and it’s Friday (at least it is here
Early in the morning and Friday? Wow, that’s a big difference. It’s night our here, Friday….
Actually hardware interfaces and APIs need to be unified. If every printer would use the same description language, you’d just plug it in and use it, no driver messing. Same for other hardware (which would actually also reduce OS code overhead and all).
Once THAT is done, you can go trying to ease the GUIs, because the easier the GUI is, the worse is it to fix problems (due all that GUI bloat).
“Actually hardware interfaces and APIs need to be unified. If every printer would use the same description language, you’d
just plug it in and use it, no driver messing. Same for other hardware (which would actually also reduce OS code overhead
and all). ”
That is the point of Postscript. It works fine, but it does add to the
cost of the printer – an intelligent printer must cost more than a
dumb one.
Unfortunately the current marketing model is to give away the printer
and sell the ink. That makes intelligent printers not a commercial
proposition for consumer sales.
As for printint on a network with several printers on it, my
recollection from a few years ago is that a Mac network does this very
easily. You can certainly print to a printer on another site (for
example if they have an A3 printer and you only have an A4) with no
hassle.
>>Just because something is different, doesn’t mean it’s revolutionary.
Well, it does not mean that it’s *NOT* revolutionary either, now does it?
http://www.dictionary.com
rev·o·lu·tion Pronunciation Key (rv-lshn)
n.
3. A sudden or momentous change in a situation: the revolution in computer technology.
4. Geology. A time of major crustal deformation, when folds and faults are formed.
Ever watched Star Trek NG? Ever wonder how it would be cool to “talk” to the computer and to ask it something that you don’t know? What always impressed me is when they ask the computer to “make a program that do this and that but without the effect of this and bla bla”. Now this would get great! But prior to reach that phenomal (utopic?) control and power, common small steps must be made in the interface area. Do small things first… big ones will be done by assemling a lots of those small things.
As for printint on a network with several printers on it, my recollection from a few years ago is that a Mac network does this very easily. You can certainly print to a printer on another site (for example if they have an A3 printer and you only have an A4) with no hassle.
I will have to admit that this discussion puzzled me slightly until I read this comment. Now all those bad memories of getting the three computers running Windows at my work to talk to our printers.
We have four HP LaserJet 4050Ns hooked directly to our network. For the Macs this is about the simplest setup possible, so why is it like pulling teeth to get our windows (98 or NT) to use one of these? It seems like MicroSoft is doing their best to sell us another four computers running NT just to sit and act as a print queue for these printers.
The idea of actually using Windows NT (or any windows) as a server is a joke. I would sooner use one of these LaserJets, and truth be told it would probably be easier to configure.
After reading through most of the important stuff, i.e. the IPC I suspect Cosmoe will present the same performance characteristics of X11. The only strong point as I see it is that the “Window Manager” is in the same process as the drawing speeding up “opaque” window movements some. As I understood it is done the following.
The “appserver” uses a SVR4 message queue to provide a query method for clients connecting. All init/fini calls are done through this. Each client then creates a AF_INET (maybe this should be a AF_UNIX socket?) socket to the server for communication, just like X11. The server selects() on all it’s client sockets to service the clients.
So you say? Well this is how I would have done it. For each client I’d create a SVR4 semaphore, these can be waited for in sets. Data would be transfered using SVR4 shared memory where drawing code instructions would be put. So for a simple redraw only the semaphore count would have to be changed (i.e. the lock value of say 3 could represent the redraw, no change command). Client instruction (i.e. input) would be dealt by creating a AF_UNIX socket for the client to read from. I am sure there are lot’s of flaws in this but who gives f***? I am happy with X11 on linux.
If the comments here are any guide, the corridors of the Enterprise would be filled with people screaming long-winded treatises at the computer, blaming it for doing what they said and not what they meant to say.
Setting up HP 4050TN printers is kiddie crap. Assign it an IP, create an IP port on Win2K, slap a postscript driver on it and ready. I love these things. Too bad my boss doesn’t want to buy more.
I’m with you folks that think this is only a tiny evolutionary step (that’s still only just on the horizon, still) and one that isn’t really that useful. It’s romanticized by the impractical fictionalizing we see on TV.
I wish they’d show us when this stuff doesn’t work perfectly (because computers, in the real world, never work perfectly).
Engineer: Computer, gimme a status report on the engines.
Computer: Unknown command term:”gimmea.”
Engineer: Computer, give me a status report on the engines.
Computer: Please specify which engine.
Engineer: Computer, give me a complete status report on all engine systems.
Computer: That action requires senior administrator privalidges. Voice pattern of current user not recognized.
Engineer: Computer, log in user Geordi LaForge, password schnizlefast.
Computer: Please spell password for Geordi LaForge.
Engineer: s c h n i z l e f a s t.
Computer: Please use phonetic spelling to confirm password.
Engineer: sierra charlie hotel
yes, there are do damn many buttons on computer screens already… That would have been longer had I not clicked “Submit” instead of my taskbar button, but you get the point…
>>The idea of actually using Windows NT (or any windows) as a server is a joke. I would sooner use one of these LaserJets, and truth be told it would probably be easier to configure.
Have you ever used Windows 2000 or XP?
They blow away the Mac in every sense of the word!
IMHO Windows 2000 & XP (desktop and server) are by far the most feature rich operating systems around!
if you actually follow science fiction, voice commands wouldn’t be like that.
Me: Computer, go clean up all temporary files
Computer: F*ck you
lol, HAL on crack.