[sword-devel] newbie problem making a module

[fred smith]

On Sun, Jun 23, 2002 at 06:35:18PM -0400, Daniel Blake wrote:
> I don't understand the mindset that refuses to acknowledge the usefulness of
> tools that have a user interface. GUI's are necessary for the average user
> to create modules we could all benefit from. There are many people I know
> that have knowledge from God that would be beneficial to the rest of us.
> Most, if not all, of these people would never even consider making a module
> using the current method.
> 
> I think we need to examine who we are creating The Sword Project for. The
> module creation tools that exist are GREAT if we want to remain some Elite
> Group of computer guru's. If The Sword Project is really being made to be
> used by "regular" people then we need to make tools that "regular" people
> can and will use.
> I'm not trying to start the command line / GUI holy wars. Let's just take an
> unbiased look at this topic and see what the best solution would be.

Point taken.

nevertheless, I regularly chafe at windows users who find the most
convoluted ways to do things that could be done at a commandline with
a few keystrokes. Why? either because they don't understand the ins-and-
outs of their tools, or because the gui itself makes some things hard
to do efficiently.

One of the customer support people at work, last week, said she had to
ftp 120 files to a customer, was having trouble with the gui ftp client
she would prefer to use. So I suggested she just open a DOS window and
use the (crummy but working) MS ftp client. She threw a minor fit that
I'd even suggest using manual ftp to send 120 files. She didn't seem to
think about how easy it really is:

	ftp remote-system
	cd destdir
	binary
	prompt
	mput *.*

which is probably much easier than all the clicking and navigting you need
to do to send 120 files in a gui cleint.

-- 
---- Fred Smith -- fredex@fcshome.stoneham.ma.us -----------------------------
                        The Lord is like a strong tower. 
             Those who do what is right can run to him for safety.
--------------------------- Proverbs 18:10 (niv) -----------------------------