Comment relevance (Score 1) 194
UI software has ADD. Trying to collaborate using the mouse, users are confronted with a decreasing relevance of what can be shown on the screen at a given time. When the two or three solutions to collaboration are email and instant messaging, or rcs, it isn't really intuitive to see your computer as a mental image being processed by everyone on the project. Email allows some categorization, but it drowns out the recipient with this decision. You could use newsgroups, but they are static once posted, as is any instant message. Rcs on a document (or shemacs) allows more direct participation, but eliminates the hierarchy. Meetings offer a time to focus, but it becomes increasingly difficult to be productive when taken away from desk resources and planted in social discourse. You can change the subject, but to get people really thinking you have to offer examples. So much of a meeting disappears after you leave. It's probably a good thing for folks who have to worry about the demands that appear at meetings. But at the same time look: As a mere participant I'm not showing you now, and we're not meeting later. An xml hierarchy (hnb) program becomes person-specific in a hurry. Computers change the subject faster than your boss. For you to focus on the point, the computer should enable you to focus on the point by making it visible rather than holding your hand (mouse).
Beginning some concept work on a solution to network collaboration concept-sharing, there is this project (with bugs): freshmeat.net/projects/hmce
You will probably have a negative experience with this project because it only works with Linux (and maybe OSX) and right now it doesn't work deleting lines above others' cursors. Right now there is not another program offering both a hierarchy (hnb) and direct collaborative text editing (moonedit). Why has no free software developer done this? My guess is the popular focus on irc clients and wikis. Instant messaging is more popular than either of these but less developed. Another idea is to plug vnc in to the program and manipulate mouse signals so as to make it appear there are more cursors on the screen. I have some beginning code for this (dosvnc hack).
ciao,
- D. Jeffery (d DOT jeffery AT mailandnews DOT com)
Beginning some concept work on a solution to network collaboration concept-sharing, there is this project (with bugs): freshmeat.net/projects/hmce
You will probably have a negative experience with this project because it only works with Linux (and maybe OSX) and right now it doesn't work deleting lines above others' cursors. Right now there is not another program offering both a hierarchy (hnb) and direct collaborative text editing (moonedit). Why has no free software developer done this? My guess is the popular focus on irc clients and wikis. Instant messaging is more popular than either of these but less developed. Another idea is to plug vnc in to the program and manipulate mouse signals so as to make it appear there are more cursors on the screen. I have some beginning code for this (dosvnc hack).
ciao,
- D. Jeffery (d DOT jeffery AT mailandnews DOT com)
