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       (At Conrad's request, I'll try to respond after the actual post
       (etiquette and all), although, I'm not sure how well this will
       work with this mail program, so bare with me)  Read below




|--------+----------------------->
|        |          ruby-talk@net|
|        |          lab.co.jp AT |
|        |          smtplink     |
|        |                       |
|        |          12/20/00     |
|        |          05:06 PM     |
|        |                       |
|--------+----------------------->
         >-----------------------------------------------------------|
         |                                                           |
         |       To:     ruby-talk / netlab.co.jp AT smtplink@ccmail   |
         |       cc:     (bcc: MICHAEL W WILSON/NE/USCS)             |
         |       Subject:     [ruby-talk:7791] Re: GUIs for Rubies   |
         >-----------------------------------------------------------|





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       John Shields writes:

       # My thoughts on a "preferred" GUI for Ruby:
       #
       # For me, it is really important for the toolkit that I use to
       create # applications that look like a native application.  If
       I create an app I
       want
       # it to look _exactly_ like a Windows app when compiled under
       windows and
       look
       # _exactly_ like a GNOME/GTK+ app when compiled for that
       environment.

       >Out of "Ruby/GUI marketing curiosity", why is that? Pure
       personal preference, non-negotiable customer demand, or what?


       Here's how I view this, in case anyone cares (I'm sure they
       don't, but anyway :).  The appeal of things looking the same
       across a multitude of platforms is only a gain for a very few
       people, and the programmer.   I'm honestly sick and tired of
       hearing the sales pitch that "No matter what platform you're
       on, the interface will look exactly the same".  This makes no
       sense for the user.  Very few users ever need to use the same
       application on multiple platforms.  The loss of the native look
       and feel isn't a huge deal for seasoned users, but it really
       affects the usability of a program to the novice grandmother
       who's just trying to get a little bit of work done.

       User interfaces shouldn't be about how easy it is to port from
       one platform to the next, and it shouldn't be about providing
       the occasional NT/Unix/Network admin with the same interface
       over all his/her platforms.  Any experienced user will easily
       pick up the "different" (but actually the same as the other
       apps on that platform) look and feel of an application whether
       it's on NT or Unix.

       Regards,
       Mike Wilson
       Unix Systems Administrator



       >Conrad Schneiker
       >(This note is unofficial and subject to improvement without
       notice.)




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