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> the mainframe 3270 terminal user interface experience is terrible [... for new users] For expert users? I'd pit it against any interface you want. No-mouse

by ethbr1 3y ago

> the mainframe 3270 terminal user interface experience is terrible [... for new users] For expert users? I'd pit it against any interface you want. No-mouse + hands-on-keyboard + tab is hard to argue with. Sadly, the number of people who remember when GUIs could be driven from memory by keyboard-only has dwindled. Watch a 10-year veteran insurance employee use a green screen. Or as a counter-example, try to tab through your modern app du jour. (Modern developers often don't even bother to set indexes correctly)

pmontra 3y ago
Except when you must set tabindex="0" or "-1" or Bootstrap's modals won't work. /grin
jl6 3y ago
> Watch a 10-year veteran insurance employee use a green screen. Yes! I knew an Insurance customer service op who self-described as having no computer skills, but when I saw her using Reflection it was like watching a speedcuber savant.
- ethbr1 3y ago
  The spit take for me was doing process documentation, screen by screen. I would explain to them to stop after each screen or keystroke, so I could document it. Despite being smart people and understanding the ask, almost every SME I worked with failed at some point, blazing through multiple screens without even realizing it. That's some strong muscle memory there!
- bitwize 3y ago
  My mom, who worked in insurance customer service, was very quick with the green-screen interface. Not so much the J2EE replacement for said interface.
msla 3y ago
> For expert users? I'd pit it against any interface you want. Linux CLI with a good modern shell and Python versus 3270 block mode and Rexx would be an interesting match up. Similarly Emacs vs XEDIT.
elzbardico 3y ago
There was a big appliance/tv/stuff retail chain in my home country that create a fancy new web app for their sales personnel. If you were smart you'd always look for the older salesman, that would ignore the new web app shell and use the old mainframe app from a terminal emulator. it made the sales experience like 3x faster.
lproven 3y ago
> Sadly, the number of people who remember when GUIs could be driven from memory by keyboard-only has dwindled. This is so very true, and it's tragic. Watch an experienced keyboard user, such as many blind users, navigating Windows and it's a wonder of efficiency and speed. It makes the Vim prowess of many Linux folks look very sad, because Vim is just a single editor, while with Windows' keyboard UI, the entire OS and all its apps are operable at this speed. Desktop, file manager, all bundled apps, all 3rd party apps... everything has one global unified keyboard UI.

by ethbr1 3y ago

pmontra 3y ago

Except when you must set tabindex="0" or "-1" or Bootstrap's modals won't work. /grin

jl6 3y ago

> Watch a 10-year veteran insurance employee use a green screen. Yes! I knew an Insurance customer service op who self-described as having no computer skills, but when I saw her using Reflection it was like watching a speedcuber savant.

ethbr1 3y ago
The spit take for me was doing process documentation, screen by screen. I would explain to them to stop after each screen or keystroke, so I could document it. Despite being smart people and understanding the ask, almost every SME I worked with failed at some point, blazing through multiple screens without even realizing it. That's some strong muscle memory there!
bitwize 3y ago
My mom, who worked in insurance customer service, was very quick with the green-screen interface. Not so much the J2EE replacement for said interface.

msla 3y ago

> For expert users? I'd pit it against any interface you want. Linux CLI with a good modern shell and Python versus 3270 block mode and Rexx would be an interesting match up. Similarly Emacs vs XEDIT.

elzbardico 3y ago

There was a big appliance/tv/stuff retail chain in my home country that create a fancy new web app for their sales personnel. If you were smart you'd always look for the older salesman, that would ignore the new web app shell and use the old mainframe app from a terminal emulator. it made the sales experience like 3x faster.

lproven 3y ago

> Sadly, the number of people who remember when GUIs could be driven from memory by keyboard-only has dwindled. This is so very true, and it's tragic. Watch an experienced keyboard user, such as many blind users, navigating Windows and it's a wonder of efficiency and speed. It makes the Vim prowess of many Linux folks look very sad, because Vim is just a single editor, while with Windows' keyboard UI, the entire OS and all its apps are operable at this speed. Desktop, file manager, all bundled apps, all 3rd party apps... everything has one global unified keyboard UI.