Re: [DotGNU]DotGNU task list

[Barry Fitzgerald]

I'd agree with this - in the end, the browser is basically another batch
processor.  The sad thing is that there is a number of scripting languages
that could be decently useful for client-side processing in
real-time (Javascript, PHP).

        -Barry


On Sun, 3 Feb 2002, Rhys Weatherley wrote:

> I'm still lagging in e-mail, but catching up ...
>
> Bill Lance wrote:
>
> > Agreed, browsers are document oriented.  But does any
> > other application interface exist, even in concept?
>
> E-mail clients, word processors, spreadsheets, and
> pretty much any application that allows the user to enter
> serious data do not follow the browser model.
>
> The browser model is a more modern version of the block
> mode terminal (3270's for the mainframe geeks in the
> audience).  The server does most of the work, delivers
> a form to be filled out or a menu to be selected from.
> The user fills in a small amount of detail, hits the "Send"
> button ("Enter" on 3270, "Submit" or a link on Web),
> and then another screen is presented.  Rinse and repeat.
>
> The applications I mentioned above are more interactive.
> Pressing a key has an immediate effect on the state of
> the application.  It isn't buffered up and deferred until
> the next round trip to the server.
>
> Block mode terminal applications work very well in
> organisations like banks and travel agents.  Most of the
> data is coming from the server, with only a tiny amount
> of information going back from the user.  Try to do word
> processing that way and you'll quickly go mad (I remember
> editing source code on a 3270 - a painfull experience).
>
> The browser is a terrible UI, suitable only for clearly
> defined tasks with little user input.  But it is ubiquitous
> now and so we are bascially stuck with it.  Java was
> supposed to fix this, but failed because it was too big
> and clunky for the client environment.
>
> I sometimes think that if someone other than Sun had
> designed Java, we'd be in a better position today with
> respect to UI on the Web.  Sun is a server company:
> they don't understand clients and never have.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rhys.
>
>
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