Re: [DotGNU]flexible for users, or flexible for developers? (wasRe: User Interfaces)

[Boris Kolar]

> I've wondered why GNU didn't come up with a better technology than .Net.
> Surely with the diverse background of the people involved, something
> could be created.

I strongly support the idea to create something better than C#/.net. I think we 
need to move forward and create more powerfull
language(s) than c++/java/c#, and advanced network operating system.

I have some ideas about the language and the OS. The language is extremly 
simple and powerfull (more powerfull than C++ or Eiffel) -
I'll share details when I put (still rapidly changing) ideas in writing. And 
once we have the language, OS should be written in it.

> The problem with the Star Trek society, is the question of who enjoys
> being a janitor? How would you feel if "society" dictated that you don't
> have enough smarts, so instead of going to star fleet academy you'll be
> washing toilets. And this is one of the problems I've seen of free

I'm sure no one washes toilets manually in Star Trek anymore. But I understand 
the problem, and I can see some potential solutions:
1. Rotate jobs: occasionally offer janitor a chance to do something more 
exciting, like piloting a prototype ship, use toilet
washing as an alternative punishment
2. If being a janitor is so unpopular, then it must be hard to find one. So you 
have to make janitor's salary more attractive, or
give them some other benefits that will compensate boring job.
3. Make sure those who do the boring job are recognized as important 
contributors to the project. If a project becomes a huge
success, many would like to be known as it's authors and doing boring tasks 
could be the easiest way.

> You obviously haven't met a lot of users ;-). Most users can't explain
> what they want to do to me in English, much less communicate that in any
> form to a computer. It takes a lot of questioning and an intuitiveness

There is a big difference between "can't" and "won't". In my experience, most 
users could develop something (given the proper tools,
books, etc.), but they won't, simply because they don't have to. They can hire 
others to do the job. They don't want to invest
enough energy to even think about what they expect, so no wonder thay can't 
explain anything. Some users see programming as too
challenging, but they can do wonders with Excell (they program and don't even 
know they do it).