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GUIs– Mediating the Experience. ATS 315. The Glass Teletype. Mac Did It Back Then, Too. 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.
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GUIs– Mediating the Experience ATS 315
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!
Why all the metaphors? • They mediate the experience!
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 • Went a different direction, selling the operating system, not the computer. • WHY?
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)