[openbeos] OS Propaganda.... A new world order!

        The worst assumption here is to make an assumption about what
people like.  Keep it simple... so your grandma can use it, but make it
customizable so everyone will want to use it.  
        Partially I think the success of this project is hinging on
driver support.  Diving into BeOS is easy, if you can get it up and
running.  Now I know the stated goals of BeOS differ, but the object of
any OS that wishes to compete in the mainstream need to be fairly
simple: Get users to the GUI, and keep them there.  Now this might
insult the unix/linux buffs, and the OS evangelist out there who insists
multitasking DOS is the wave of the future, but people want to do things
with there computer, without the manuals, need a intuitive interface( a
visual interface).  Get them there, as easily as possible, keep them
there, and I believe the users will forgive the growing pains.  
        Most of the windows users have lived with generations of win95
just for that reason.  Sure Dos was there... and it crashed every few
minutes, but for the average user, it was easier than learning to type,
and learning the command line.  Today, we do have a usable windows, and
acceptably stable.  WindowsXP.  Now windows is popular for quite a few
reasons, one of which is software base.  Its obvious you can't attack on
all fronts all at once(give the developers time), but if you create an
acceptable paradigm where users can click to there hearts delight,
without fear of the command line you'll,... we'll be making acceptable
progress towards taking over the world, I mean the desktop.  
        User land wants... a revolution, a new world order.  Everybody
knows it.  Linux and Windows preaches the gospel but is nothing more
than a reincarnated sinner (Unix, Dos), not a born again Christian.  Now
it's clear to everyone that this project is making lots of progress, and
I think it has reached a threshold where there are more believers than
non-believers.  I think this project needs to keep with that momentum
and begin laying down the foundation for the future.  Here are some of
my ideas, commentary.
        Someone needs to take the pulse of the OpenTracker Project.  Now
I only recently subscribed to its mailing list, but have followed its
site for a while.  It seems a little too silent.  There doesn't seem to
be any reason that development can't continue concurrently at this
point.  Perhaps new life could be breathed into OpenTracker if someone
took the reigns and began planning the next generation OpenTracker.
Ultimately the Desktop of this OS.
        I think its time we start putting some of the lurkers to use.
Not everyone is a kernel hacker, maybe we have some driver developers
out there.  Maybe we have some skilled coders that would give it a go.
What would be nice is to begin creating a database of supported and
unsupported hardware.  Those that can't code but are astute with BeOS
can test, and generate information for this database.  For example:  My
computer with xXx brand graphics card doesn't boot BeOS.  Switching to
Safe mode lets it boot.  Using Vesa Graphics Driver works/or doesn't
etc. 
        We are still likely to have some lurkers left over, perhaps we
can put them to work on developing that office suite or needed app.  Now
I know the OBOS team has more than there share of work.  Nevertheless I
think its going to be necessary/desirable for a broader contribution to
this project.  Perhaps it's a little early to be thinking about
distribution, but ultimately what will decide whether this is another
hobby OS or full fledged M$ killer is the scope of our planning.  Linux
is a double edged sword of proof, another Community project, lacking a
central vision.  It has done many great things, yet it ultimately, for
the average user, does nothing.  
        Now that's all fine and well, you might say, and I'm certain
that for a lot of you I'm preaching to the choir.  The rest are saying
to yourself we are recreating Be. Our mission is to recreate BeOS. Our
stated purpose is recreating BeOS.      Now it is my opinion that this
indisputably puts us in the category of hobby OS.  But we are about to
christen this OS by naming it, and as such I think we should also modify
our mission statement.  We could light a fire under the Opentracker
project and start work on OBOS's (CeOS, DeOS, BeeOS.. or what ever it
is.) desktop interface.  And begin to give this OS life of its own,
apart from Be.  We christen this OS as the ultimate User's OS, if you
will, rather than Be reincarnate.  Or we can continue down the road of
Hobby OS's.  At best hoping to dethrone ATheOS, and keep pace with the
linux's of the world.  

Travis B. Rich
crapmail@xxxxxxxxx
(just, an anxious onlooker)



---Original Message-----
From: openbeos-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:openbeos-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Allen Brunson
Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2002 8:47 AM
To: openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [openbeos] GUI schemes

Pascal Goguey wrote:
> But now, the other OSes look better [than BeOS]. There is a
> candy-like fashion, and apparently everybody likes it.

Funny how anybody who wants to make a point claims "everybody" agrees
with
them.  Alas, I am not one of those "everybodies" and I think the stock
BeOS
5.0.3 theme is the best GUI I ever used.

> If even windows switched from the cold war design to something
> smoother, there must be a good reason.

Yes, there is: there are no additional compelling features Microsoft can
add
to Windows, yet they really want to keep forcing people to upgrade so
they
can rake in the bucks.  Hmm, what to do, what to do ...

Change for its own sake is exactly the sort of evil I came to BeOS to
avoid.
People who like candy-colored GUIs know where they can go to get them.

Other related posts: