If the AmigaOS/MorphOS GUI looked like this would you still want it?

[iamaboringperson]

if the amigaos or morphos(whichever you prefer) had a plain dull unconfigurable GUI, would you still use, buy, and like the os?

if it looked like this:

or this:


i would like to know how much would it matter to you?
would you give up and go to another os, try and program some patches, or otherwise be dissatisfied by amigaos?

[Xand]

That looks amazing like my Solaris 8 setup. Yes I'd buy it and yes I'd either try to hack something nicer together or I'd get someone else's hack.

[itix]

Heh, these screenshots remind me of Windows 3: But yes, I could use an OS even with that clumsy and old fashioned GUI. But hey, even OS2 looked cool at its time! :-)

However, sooner or later someone would write a Birdie/VP patch.

[uncharted]

UGH!

That's reminding me of the time I stayed up until 5am trying to get Xwindows running on FreeBSD on my miggy, that GUI is EVIL!!!

For me it's always functionality first, but I have been known to be a sucker for abit of eye-candy.  I don't think that looks are too important to most amiga peeps, but it is nice that we have very customisable GUIs on the next gen OSes

[Im>bE]

TOOOO lame colors.

the gui looks UNuserfriendly too.

why does every OS designer make them so damn alike???
Games have many different types,
so why make all Operating systems so darn alike???

I love Dirwork 2 by Chris Hames.
An os in that direction would be something...
tho' dirwork 2 IS already an os.

There isn't much an OS needs besides progs.
Just a way to display files, and run them.

[Samuar]

If only OS4 did use "mwm", cause that would mean it was powered by Xwindows, which of course, can run GNOME, KDE, BlackBox (and derivatives) which would look far better, and support window graphical output via the network to other workstations.

Not to mention a Linux Kernel....

[Warface]

iamaboringperson wrote:
if the amigaos or morphos(whichever you prefer) had a plain dull unconfigurable GUI, would you still use, buy, and like the os?

i would like to know how much would it matter to you?
would you give up and go to another os, try and program some patches, or otherwise be dissatisfied by amigaos?

I presume these were the before applying a skin pictures, and you have for us a stunning after applying a skin screenshot, with the intention to convince us that the default GUI look is not that relevant :-)

However, if it were the default GUI look for either MOS or OS4 - I'd send the authors to somewhere where there is unconfomfortably warm :-)

I know that a well written, yet innocent GUI can be skinned to be awesome, yet the initial impression (of the default GUI look) can scare and drive people away. So it is a serious matter.

[alx]

if the amigaos or morphos(whichever you prefer) had a plain dull unconfigurable GUI, would you still use, buy, and like the os?...

...i would like to know how much would it matter to you? would you give up and go to another os, try and program some patches, or otherwise be dissatisfied by amigaos?

I'd be very dissatisfied.  Yes, I know that the stuff in the background of an OS is much more important, but that's worse than older versions of AmigaOS.  If the MOS/AOS team came up with that, then it would show that:

1) They've got no pride in the OS

2) They've completely stopped all the configurability in 3.5/3.9 which lots of people used - ie didn't listen to and respect the community

3) They want Amiga to stay a niche OS

If I saw that on OSNews I'd be extremely embarrassed - and probably wouldn't buy it.  Not because the underlying modules were bad, but because time had been spent on a new GUI that was far worse - I'd think that the developer team were exremely incompetant.

[Madgun68]

That is a horrible gui. Simply put.. Nope. I definately wouldn't bother with something like that. I want something that is at least somewhat pleasing to the eyes, which that is not.

I'd go back to using Geos on the C-64 before I used that.

[voxel]

:-o :-? :-o :huh: :shocked: Arrrrrrrrrrrgh!

Gimme back my OS3.9 look now!!! :boohoo:


jf  ;-)

[mikeymike]

Workbench 1.2 looks more attractive than those screenshots :-)

[Billsey]

To me, a GUI needs to do one thing, and one thing only: Transparently link me to the functionality of the applications running on the OS. You could call it, “Do your job quietly and get out of the way!”. The GUI should, nay must not be a distraction. In truth, it should be like a good referee, where you almost don't even notice that they're even there at all.

That would be a good GUI.

[takemehomegrandma]

iamaboringperson wrote:
if the amigaos or morphos(whichever you prefer) had a plain dull unconfigurable GUI, would you still use, buy, and like the os?

if it looked like this:
...
i would like to know how much would it matter to you?
would you give up and go to another os, try and program some patches, or otherwise be dissatisfied by amigaos?

IMO, the looks is not as important as the "feel". You should see my MorphOS screen, I have not bothered at all to make it look nice in any way. Of course, it has a somewhat nice GUI from the start, but my Ambient screen is nothing like some of the ones you can see in the gallery over at morphzone.org.

[minator]

I wouldn't call any GUI good which demands the user knows a command line from the beginning.

In fact thats not a GUI at all, thats a graphical shell.

The Command line shold be hidden away so those who need it can find it but otherwise it shouldn't be required.
This is true of AmigaOS, Windows, BeOS and OS X.

[iamaboringperson]

Billsey wrote:
To me, a GUI needs to do one thing, and one thing only: Transparently link me to the functionality of the applications running on the OS. You could call it, “Do your job quietly and get out of the way!”. The GUI should, nay must not be a distraction. In truth, it should be like a good referee, where you almost don't even notice that they're even there at all.

That would be a good GUI.

yep. im completly with you bilsey,

i have nothing against a pretty GUI, nor a customizable one
its just that it seems that people these days pick/judge an OS by its GUI/screenshots
to me, thats really sad...

a gui should be easy to use <- thats probably my number 1 rule for guis

too many people are worried about whats on the surface
computing is about doing things, and sure, the way it is done is also important, but the GUI is not the part that does it, its everything behind.

 :-)