Re: SEUL: Text vs. X

[Kevin Forge <forgeltd@pop.netaddress.usa.net>]

Cyberdyn wrote:
> 
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> 
> On 14-Feb-98 Donovan Rebbechi wrote:
> - ->> NO!  SEUL exists to make computers easier for people to use, not to force
> - ->> them to learn something that doesn't matter to them.
> 
> Exactly!
> 
> - ->
> - -> Very true. But there comes a point where they need to know something (for
> - -> example, how to turn their machine on.) The point is that if they get
> - -> caught in the 'loop of Death', they should know how to hit C-M-F1 to get
> - -> out of the loop and into the shell.
> 
> You have me confused.  This is, at least, the second time this terminal
> switch has been mentioned.  On my machine, the loop of death effects *all*
> VT's as well as the graphic VT.  I end up typing between flashes, not an easy
> thing to do, to login and kill xdm.
> 
> So, which X server were you using that let you get to a normal VT while xdm
> was respawning itself?
>
What I gather is that this is a problem with XDM.  Startx on the other
hand
Let's you kill it or drop to a command line if you want.  This <IMHO> is
more
important for the SEU that SEUL is for.  Being able to log on multiple
users 
at the same time is not an issue.  What dose it mater if little Johnny
uses 
mom's account ?  My feeling is that some features need not be simplified
for
SEUL.  #1 on that list.  using a Terminal ... especially X Terminal.
SEUL is for the Little goy who bought a "Store brand" PC and doesn't
like how
Windows chrashes almost as much as on the "name brand" system his
neighbor 
has.  It's for the company that wants all the little secretaries typing
away 
on cheep machines with access to the company network.  In other words
SEOL
is for use in situations that Windows 95 currently fit.  Without the
Productivity / Gray hair penalty coming from RedMond.
If This mean shaving the user type 'startx' at the prompt in order to
escape
all the pitfalls of XDM ... so what ?  People like when the PC tells
them
how powerful it is.  that's why the Kernel Patch to display a Penguin
Logo
( there is such a thing :) is not needed here.  when the PC says
"starting
* demon" it just looks like a powerful tool.  
> 
> - -> And also, there's the issue
> --> some-one else raised: what if the machine doesn't have the hardware forX
> - -> ? I'm not really clear whether SEUL is supposed to require X-Windows to
> - -> work or not. If it's to be usable without X, then the text-menu stuff
> - -> starts to look fairly important all of a sudden.
> 
> This isn't even at issue.  It's common sense to provide fall back.
> 
True.
-- 
: "Through the firewall, out the router, down the T1, across the
: backbone, bounced from satellite, Nothing but net."