Re: [kidsUI] Browser example

[Doug Loss <dloss@suscom.net>]

Sanjay Chandrasekharan wrote:

> > I must say, I like this idea.  Of course, if the file is very large, the penguin
> > will have to drag it with a rope; if it's extremely large, he'll have to get a
> > crane or a bulldozer to move it.  But the general concept is appealing.  The
> > question is, how can the concept be integrated into the software?
>
> See, I told you, you can expand on the theme! :-)
>
> I didn't understand the last part, the concept being integrated into the software.
> Could you elaborate?

What we've been talking about is a file manager, a program that runs over a window
manager of a desktop environment.  I can see that using animation in this sort of program
could be appealing to children.  But what about the window managers and desktop
environments themselves?  These provide things like pop-up menus, window frames, scroll
bars, minimize- maximize- and close-buttons, etc.  Are these sorts of things amenable to
animation?  Or is there some other way of looking at these things that might make them
more usable for kids?

It just occurred to me that when we say "desktop environment" we're using the term
"environment" to mean the background that things get done against--the "world" of the
computer to the users, as it were.  If we're to have animated agents helping users,
perhaps the environment should be modelled as the world those agents live in.  This might
mean a user's home directory would represent his bedroom, while games on the system might
be in a playroom, and connections to other systems would be represented by a TV set or by
other, near-by buildings.  How does this sound?  Am I missing some shortcoming that's
painfully obvious to others?

Do any of you folks from the various window manager and environment projects have any
thoughts on this?

--
Doug Loss                 Even if you're on the right track,
Data Network Coordinator  you'll get run over if you just
Bloomsburg University     sit there.
dloss@bloomu.edu                Will Rogers