Re: [Gnu-arch-users] is there demand for itla?

[zander]

On Wed, Nov 19, 2003 at 04:25:45PM -0500, Clark McGrew wrote:
> On Tue, 2003-11-18 at 04:57, Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:
> > >>>>> "Tom" == Tom Lord <address@hidden> writes:
> > 
> >     Tom> The question I'm stuck on is how much "demand" there is for
> >     Tom> itla.
> > 
> > So I don't see a naive TTY interface as
> > a big area for new demand.[1]
> 
> It depends on what you mean by a big area of new demand.  TLA is a
> powerful tool that the exemplary users on this list seem to be quite
> happy with.  But, for naive users the CVS interface is much cleaner.  My
> assertion is that if TLA (ITLA) can "become as easy as" CVS, there is a
> huge pool of potential users waiting to dump CVS.  My (abysmal)
> marketing sense says that ITLA should initially be targeted toward those
> users.


That is not what I understood from Tom. itla will allow a workflow to be
implemented.  How hard it is to 'get into' that workflow is entirely up
to the implementer of the optional policies that the tool will allow.

Targeting beginning users is what a GUI is for. The first screen in my
(very alfa) GUI tool shows only the need for updating and committing
changes.
Naturally lots of little features that support this are possible, but
(for example) revision management will not be a first priority for most
users, I believe most users will get by without using previous versions
at all.
All non-direct features are not immidiately visible.
This is the difference between a GUI and a command line tool.

Ok, defending a not-yet-published tool is a bit silly;  but I'm sure
you get my drift.  GUI tools still capture the minds of most beginning
users.

-- 
Thomas Zander