Innovative Interfaces

[Dun'kalis]

I'm curious: Are there any really different intefaces out there that challenge what is normally called a UI? Not something like NeXT, Aqua, or Enlightenment, but something innovative and original. Or is there no room for improvement?

[Wallex]

I am curious here... what exactly do you mean as 'UI'? You mention windows managers.. but these just do that.. manage windows. Do you also include graphical widgets? Stuff like Qt or GTK? Or you mean apps that go beyond your traditional 'set' (buttons, scrollbars, tabs, menu and all that)? I think the whole 'windows' idea is pretty much stuck for a while (at least while GUI's are 2D oriented, at least), so I don't expect to see any changes on that so far... and since windows are just boxes you can handle... there's not much a windows manager can offer... can it? There have been grouping (like locking apps together in Enlightenment, or Tabs in Flux), there has been shading, iconizing, virtual desktops, sticky windows, docking... don't you think there has been a lot of innovation and originality going on already? What else can one ask for? I am not sure... you say 'improvement'.. sure, things are going to improve.. but what's left to improve? It seems application developers are happy with using their default available tools, and windows managers already have just too many ways to handle windows... I made a small poll on what kind of windows management people liked... 10 votes. Apparently people are just happy with what they have already... and aren't asking for more. No demand, no offer... right?

I personally would just like a Windows Manager that has all the options the rest have so that I can choose to use what I like, but something like that would probably end too bloated and resource hungry for your average user. And I think the whole world is already brainwashed by the idea of buttons, scrollbars, and all those GUI objects used in programs... it took forever for the whole world to get used to those.. and if something completely new were to be introduced.. it 'could' take a long time for people to adapt to it.. and if such is the case, then such new GUI might not be able to leave the testing area... ever. Sad how the best doesn't always hits the stands, eh? (reminds me of why everyone is using a Qwerty keyboard when a Dvorak one is 10% faster... we are stuck with the older layout, simple as that). But... I hope I am wrong... I remember I once thought the world was stuck with Microsoft forever... I hope to live long enough to find out if I am right or not (well... Microsoft is dooming himself... and the Qwerty keyboard isn't... so I guess it isn't the same scenario).

[GaryJones32]

I saw a guy speak at a university once who was working on an interface
that was not cabinet /file based
after all that's just a convention
his interface was time oriented
like a story/stream of consciousness
this question you asked is really important
so much of linux developement is windows copying
or the same interface we were using in 1976.
a viryual machine need virtual ideas not
some lame copy of the
same office furniture filing cabinet crap from 3000 years ago

[IvanHoe]

There have been many different graphical interfaces introduced in the past (remember VRML?). However, they bombed because the plain window manager style interface we have right now is way more effective. The more outrageous or "wizz-bang" someone tries to make an interface the more difficult (usually) it is to work with.

[sharth]

you could always try... keep in mind the idea try, to try to fiddle around with dual monitors. and have one monitor complement the other.