Re: [gentoo-desktop-research] thesis - support - question - ideas ...

[M. Edward (Ed) Borasky]

Derek Tracy wrote:
> On 5/3/07, *Johannes Neugschwentner Jr* <neugschwentner@×××××××.at
> <mailto:neugschwentner@×××××××.at>> wrote:
>
>     Hi Guys!
>
>     i'm writing a thesis on "the user-centerd desktop".
>     as part of the thesis i'm doing a prototype too.
>
>     this is something i really longed to do for a long time and am now
>     about to
>     start. since i'm under a tight schedule and am not too good a
>     programmer with
>     not too much experience it ain't gonna be something big.
>
>     but anyway. read some boox. surfed around.
>     found the plasma project ( plasma.kde.org
>     <http://plasma.kde.org>). xinf.org <http://xinf.org> (xinf.org
>     <http://xinf.org>). screenweaver
>     hx (http://haxe.org/swhx). of course there is superkaramba ...
>
>     tend to doing it in haxe (eclihaxe + screenweaver hx) ... pretty
>     sure about
>     that since the only language i'm really fluent in is actionscript
>     and haxe is
>     not far from it (wanted to do it in flex before ... but prefer
>     haxe since
>     it's all open source)
>
>     did some research on hci (designing interactions) ... am going to
>     do empirical
>     user research .... non-technical-useres ..
>     am doing some research on the piling metapher and lifestreams & co
>     at the mom.
>
>     bumptop by the way with it's piling metaphor is really something very
>     appealing and those guys with their thesis did exactly what i'm
>     going to do.
>     (www.bumptop.com <http://www.bumptop.com> )
>
>     well, i'm not exactly sure what i wanna say or question with this,
>     but hey,
>     found out about this mailing list and thought - hey, sounds great,
>     give it a
>     shot.
>
>     so if you got any ideas, proposals, whatever, here i am
>
>     Cya,
>
>     --
>     Johannes Neugschwentner
>
>
>
> Johannes,
>
> You might want to consider looking at http://www.symphonyos.com/cms/
> they have the most unique approach to a user oriented desktop that I
> have seen to date they are using Mozilla engine w/XUL so it shouldn't
> be too difficult to program.
>
>
> --
> ---------------------------------
> Derek Tracy
> tracyde@×××××.com <mailto:tracyde@×××××.com>
> ---------------------------------
Unfortunately, SymphonyOS died -- the founder ran out of his own money, 
essentially. UIs are a *huge* business, and while I applaud and 
encourage basic research and initiative, it's *very* difficult to turn 
such research and initiative into cash.

That said, the sort of UI that I think of as the "UI of the future" 
would be a full virtual reality environment with which one could do 
"whole-body interaction" with a computer. How about an exercise bicycle 
with a keyboard and mouse on the handlebars? A wall-sized keyboard one 
could punch with boxing gloves? Drag-and-drop with objects that actually 
weigh something?
-- 
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