[openbeos] Data or App Centric?

Hi list,

Going to make some bold claims here, based on how I see the world.

In Windows, it's fairly easy for a computer newbie to start looking at
pictures, listen to music, record CDs or whatever task you want to do.
Generally, the trend is to have a application-centric view of the world,
which makes it (arguably) easy to get at the task at hand.

In BeOS, you have to learn a bit about the system in order to use all
functions. For example, you have to learn what attributes are in order to
find an e-mail you've received, using Tracker's Find tool -> E-mail ->
From/Subject/...  Hence, a data-centric view where it can sometimes be a
bit of a hassle to know which operations you can apply to certain data,
and where those operations are to be found.

Now, after one has learned how it's done in BeOS, I believe it is a faster
way of working, which doesn't get in the way.  This is sadly mostly for
"professional" users that perhaps need to manipulate their data in a more
advanced way (think Terminal and pipes) than what a single application can
provide.

This leads to two situations, based on the user:
The advanced user will get hit the roof in Windows because of the inherent
limitations of the system (think: hacks like EasyMove or
ticWorkspaceGadget), whereas in BeOS, they're relatively easy to do
because of the bundled developer environment and the structure of the
operating system (file system and such).

For the casual user, however, there'll be a certain threshold that might
(or might not, but most probably will) put the user off from using BeOS,
and instead choose Windows where everything is served (i.e., kitchen sink
included) -- might not be a very good way of working for us who know how
things -can- be done, but it is a way, and it's mostly obvious what to do
(e.g., the activity pane on the left-hand side in folders in Windows).

Now, I'm -not- saying we should duplicate Windows.  But we really need to
lower the threshold in BeOS, if we want to be successful!

Comments?

-- Mikael

PS. I've put up this piece on my blog as well:
http://mikael.jansson.be/post/2005/02/20/the-application-vs-the-data DS.

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