Second Sight + GNO + Switch It -> System 7!

[ltchean@iss.nus.sg (Lim Thye Chean)]

If you like to read some of my ideas of what we can use the Second Sight for,
read on. Or else, skip this.

I am now getting more and more excited about the new Second Sight card. Unlike
TurboRez, this card is going to be a reality. And since it comes from Jawaid,
I believe it can be good, just like the other products he produced - GNO and
Switch It.

So what can we do with Second Sight? A paint program? A draw program? One or
two games? That's all?

Why don't we do something more? Like creating a whole new environment? Like
have a new GS experience?


Second Sight + GNO
------------------
The environment is already here. It is called GNO Multitasking Environment.
I am sure most of us here knows about it. It is great. But why GNO is only
considered as a developer tools? Why most GS users don't buy it?

This is because GUI appeals to average GS users. GUI is very important,
especially to users like teachers, etc.

Lets imagine what we can do. Maybe we can have our own GNO desktop. Since
it is a new manager, we can built our own windows. With 3D icons. 3D shading.
Second Sight offers 256 colours, which is enough. The window can iconize,
etc. 

TMTerm will be fast, since Second Sight will move graphics at a high speed.
We can have a few TMTerm on screens, so that we can write, compiled and
excecute programs at the same time. So that I can download files and play
some GNO applications at the same time.

GNO is the starting environment. Below the new manager, there is a launch
pad that has "Finder" as one of the button. To run any applications, just 
run it from launch pad or type its name in TMTerm, and the application
appeared "maximize". This is because Super Hires will takes over the 
whole screen. GNO is compatible with most desktop applications. So to the
user, their GS is now enhanced with new preemptive functionality, new
graphics, new commands, new experience - all at an affordable price.

We can have a nice beautiful background. To be honest, it is normally the
background that makes the difference. 

GNO + Second Sight can make a great new OS. An enhancement to System 6.


Second Sight + GNO + Switch It
------------------------------
Have anyone seen Windows 95 (Chicago)? Or the new OS/2 3.0? They are quite
cool. Maybe let me explain the new interface of Windows 95, so that you can
visualize what I have in mind for the new environment I have in mind for GS.

The default screen of Chicago looks like this: there is a desktop with
beautiful background, and all windows are in 3D shading. On the upper left
corner there are 2 icons - My computer icon and My network (or whatever)
icon. The My Computer icon is for setting the various Windows 95 functions,
very much like our CDev folder.

Below is is a task bar. The first button is "Explorer" which will lead you
to a Finder-like utility. The other buttons are for "running applications".
So that switching application is just a one button task.

Take a look at the Windows 95 interface on any of the PC magazines and now
look at what we can do with our GS.

We can have the same environment. The upper left corner have an icon for
setting GNO configuration. Or we can have other icons for openning TmTerm, etc.

The task bar below is actually Switch It. The first button is "Finder". The 
other buttons are applications currently in memory with the button associate 
with the running application "pressed down".

Of course we can do a lot more than this. For example, we can have iconize
icons just on top of the task bar. Or some GNO desktop extensions for playing
music, playing video, etc.

Then we bundle the who package, and called it System 7.0 for GS. System 6.0
requires a harddisk, System 7.0 requires the video card. If the environment
can enhance the whole GS experience instead of just using it for some
image viewing or painting, Second Sight should sell. GNO should sell. 
Switch It should sell. It would be good for Sequential System/Procyon, and
good for us GS community.

--
           Lim Thye Chean: Lim is my surname. My name is Thye Chean.
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Research Engineer:Institute of Systems Science. GALAXIA Authoring System author
  Address: Kent Ridge PO Box 1130, Singapore 9111   Email: ltchean@iss.nus.sg