GUIs: Motif or ...? (was Re: tlug: Fw: Could Linux Kill NT?)

[Matt Gushee <matt@example.com>]

Okay, GUIs are not a server-related issue. Name changed. Everybody
happy?

Thanks to Steve Turnbull for pointing out that Motif can be better
than it often is. I have to admit I don't know Motif all that well --
my main experience has been the statically-linked binaries I've used
on Linux -- whose GUI behaviors range from second-rate to horrible --
and apps that fail to compile with Lesstif. But I have seen and used
AIX's Motif environment, and it certainly works better. I'd describe
it as usable but in no way compelling.

 > > I think you're missing Jamie Z.'s point.

No, I don't think so. I believe his point was that Linux can only
achieve long-term success if it has a standardized GUI, and that since 
Linux is a variant of UNIX we should build on the existing UNIX
standard, i.e. Motif. He made a statement to the effect that a
standard doesn't have to be great, it just has to be good enough.

The problem I see with that argument is:

Linux currently seems to have a wide-open window of opportunity. Why?
One very important reason is that people are coming to realize
that the Windows "standard," which was thought to be good enough,
really isn't.

Probably the crucial issue -- and the point where some, including
myself, differ from JWZ -- is what group of users (or buyers) will
decide the future of Linux in the market, and how they will
decide.

>From my little corner, it looks like the battle for the hearts and
minds of hackers and network people is largely won. So what's next?
I'm no marketing genius, but I would guess the next crucial market for 
Linux will be people who use computers professionally but are not
computer professionals per se ... small business owners who need
reliable databases, web designers who want to try out the GIMP
... etc. These people, I imagine, are now using Windows (well, the
designers may be using Macs, but let's keep it simple), thinking
they'd like something better, looking at alternatives. Sun? SGI? HP
workstation? With what money?

So what's needed is something that delivers, out of the box, what
Windows promises. Get in your computer-car and go where you want to,
when you want to. No wheels falling off along the way.

I'm not sure if Linux (or anything) can be that kind of system, but a
lot of people now seem to think it should be. So my question is, if
you're someone who's just figured out that Windows isn't good enough,
are you going to think that a Motif/Lesstif-based GUI is good enough
to switch to?

Steve T. points out that Motif can be better, is better on commercial
UNIX systems like Sun, has a style guide. Duly noted, and I'm glad to
know it isn't all bugs.

Can Motif *on Linux*, within realistic time and budget constraints, be
improved enough to win over whoever it is that we need to win over? If
so, then JWZ is right. But a number of developers seem to think that
it's just too damn hard to code for Motif, too hard to work around the
bugs; whether or not they know what they're talking about, I can't
say. Steve? Anybody?

Just for the record, Windows is not my standard for judging GUIs --
OS/2 is. Fantastic interface, just not enough native apps or support.

Regards,

Matt Gushee
Oshamanbe, Hokkaido
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