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"natural interface" means precisely nothing. Like I said, it means using touch, speech, and gestures instead of using these arcane mice and cursor metaphors.

"natural interface" means precisely nothing. Like I said, it means using touch, speech, and gestures instead of using these arcane mice and cursor metaphors. The computer mouse only exists because they needed a way to activate the UI controls like scrollbars and cascading menus. Once you eliminate the desktop UI controls, most uses of the mouse aren't necessary. Instead of a mouse, you use your voice, and a tablet/touchscreen device beside your keyboard. Keyboards will probably stay around for a long time. But what I'm specifically saying is the traditional desktop we've been using for the past 25 years is most certainly going to go away.

untog 15y ago
But you still aren't outlining why any of this would be better. Like I said- an office full of people using voice commands on their computer would be a total, utter nightmare. How is it better than using a keyboard and mouse?
- wavephorm 15y ago
  A voice command computer would allow me to walk into my kitchen and say "make me a coffee", whereas the ancient desktop model of computing would require me to log into my Windows desktop and scroll and click through menus to connect and schedule time with my coffee maker. There is an order of magnitude difference in usability between these paradigms, and it doesn't matter how good the Ubuntu Unity Linux desktop is, it won't make tasks like this any bit easier. In every office I have worked in, people are already talking on their phones, I don't see how talking to your computer is any different.
  - untog 15y ago
    When was the last time you made a coffee with your computer? You're talking about scenarios that are entirely unrelated to how computers are used 99% of the time. In every office I have worked in, people are already talking on their phones, I don't see how talking to your computer is any different. Orders of magnitude different. Is every single person in your office talking all the time, at once?
jiggy2011 15y ago
I don't see why one thing has to die for other things to appear. There is room for a huge variety of devices with different input methods. I know people who have touch screen monitors which are useful for some things but the majority of the time people still use the mouse. The same with the apple touchpad thing. I'd like to be able to use gestures and speech commands etc with my computer but I'm not throwing my keyboard in the trash until there is something that let's me input data just as fast, quietly and ergonomically. I don't want to browse NSFW material at 2AM while my other half is in bed using voice commands :)

untog 15y ago

But you still aren't outlining why any of this would be better. Like I said- an office full of people using voice commands on their computer would be a total, utter nightmare. How is it better than using a keyboard and mouse?

wavephorm 15y ago
A voice command computer would allow me to walk into my kitchen and say "make me a coffee", whereas the ancient desktop model of computing would require me to log into my Windows desktop and scroll and click through menus to connect and schedule time with my coffee maker. There is an order of magnitude difference in usability between these paradigms, and it doesn't matter how good the Ubuntu Unity Linux desktop is, it won't make tasks like this any bit easier. In every office I have worked in, people are already talking on their phones, I don't see how talking to your computer is any different.
- untog 15y ago
  When was the last time you made a coffee with your computer? You're talking about scenarios that are entirely unrelated to how computers are used 99% of the time. In every office I have worked in, people are already talking on their phones, I don't see how talking to your computer is any different. Orders of magnitude different. Is every single person in your office talking all the time, at once?

jiggy2011 15y ago

I don't see why one thing has to die for other things to appear. There is room for a huge variety of devices with different input methods. I know people who have touch screen monitors which are useful for some things but the majority of the time people still use the mouse. The same with the apple touchpad thing. I'd like to be able to use gestures and speech commands etc with my computer but I'm not throwing my keyboard in the trash until there is something that let's me input data just as fast, quietly and ergonomically. I don't want to browse NSFW material at 2AM while my other half is in bed using voice commands :)