Just felt like sharing this concept...

[LIB53]

This is a cool video on the future of UI's. It's a presentation on a concept on how the next-gen GUI could be.

Here's the video: http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/15/ui-nerdgasm-alert-10-gui-is-sweeping-us-off-our-fingers/

[djm227]

The touch idea is good...I never understood how companies would expect people to reach and touch their monitors in the future, so their idea makes it a little bit simpler. I'm not sure I like the windows management idea though. I either have to scroll through all of my open apps, or zoom out and choose one? Currently, I can just choose the app I want from my bottom dock in one motion. Their way seems a little more complicated.

[TheBuzzSaw]

Oh...

my...

goodness...

This is absolutely brilliant on so many levels. I have never thought of applying multitouch in this manner. I always felt that there was something fundamentally "wrong" with the way big corporations were approaching multitouch technology. On things like the iPhone, direct screen touch makes sense given the limited real estate. However, when it comes to home computing, I never felt right about the idea of touching my screen all the time. It's not so much the touching that bothers me as much as it is the issues presented in this video: the screens are upright, and my arms get tired; or my screen is down low, my neck gets tired, and my fingers cover the screen.

10/GUI solves all those issues and addresses one major issue: hardware support! I really am not in the mood to swap out my monitors for touch-compatible monitors just to enjoy a half dozen apps that support it. However, buying a 10/GUI pad is probably not too expensive, and it can slowly transition in as software picks up support.

I haven't felt this excited/geeky in a long time. I really do feel that 10/GUI is doing it right. Microsoft took a gamble on direct screen touch with Windows 7. If I had any money, I would place it on 10/GUI in a heartbeat.

[coldReactive]

I've already used a touchscreen HP computer once, I had to press 4 times to get the close button to work.

In all, if hardware was better, less picky, and much less expensive, I might consider it someday.

My grandma couldn't even touch the close button, I had to do it for her.

[darthmob]

Now that has potential to be good! Thanks for the link. :)

[Flimm]

Makes me want to want to build this system. :)
Separating the touchpad from the screen is not a new idea, Microsoft suggested it for portable devices (http://www.newscientist.com/articlevideo/dn16295/5172840001-fat-fingers-no-problem-with-seethrough-touchscreen-.html) (putting the touchpad on the back of the device and making the screen "see-through").

[JugglinPhil]

Don't think it is that great, you would never be able to use it to its fullest because it would simply need an incredible amount of multitasking. It would take ages to get used to it in the first place, but you still would not be able to concentrate on ten things on your screen at the same time.. Don't really like the window idea either, seems a bit limiting when compared to the dock. Just my opinion.

[WALEEDMOHAMMED]

This is a really cool concept!!

[Exodist]

I dont like the window management in a linear fashion. Since I prefer the multi desktop environment commonly used with Linux DEs. I do like the touchpad idea tho. I dont see any reason we cant get multi-touch-pressure-sensitive touchpads now the size of mouse pads.

[Fzang]

This concept looks good, and it sure has some potential. But I think we should extend what we have and not develop a completely new way of interacting with the computer.

Apple has done this pretty well on their new unibody macbooks. It has a big touchpad, fully clickable all over so space isn't wasted on buttons. And it has 2 fingers for zooming, 3 fingers for going back/forth, 4 fingers to expose windows or clean desktop, etc..

The 2 hand touch concept is all good, but it's like sometimes we're forgetting that the human brain can only do a limited amount of multitasking. Great, we can have 20 apps open and zoom around to see them all, but can we use 20 apps at once without stopping up and thinking "...now what was I going to do with app C, together with A and B..?"?

Almost everyone forgets that the keyboard is also a "multi touch surface". Our hands are always resting on the keyboard and it takes a fraction of a second to press a shortcut. Instead of hogging the mouse we should start learning some shortcuts. The standard typing speed is around 80-90 words per minute, which is about 1½ actions per second, which equals to a wicked amount of shortcuts which could be pressed in such a short time!

So, as I said, the way forward IMO is making things easier and extend what we're used to, not completely reinvent the computer for our hands.

tl;dr: lern2keyboard.

Edit: oh my god, wall of text.

[Exodist]

Fz has a very valid point. Even most all my compiz commands are mapped thru my keyboard using the super key and another key that is easily accessable. Like Super+Tab to switch focus on windows on the desktop. Super+Left/RightArrow to next desktop or backwards. My mouse isnt used that much.

Thats why I think the multitouch sensitive touch pad would pick up where its lacking. Like the "Pinching" used on iPods to resize stuff and scrolling on the desktop.

[leandromartinez98]

This is a cool video on the future of UI's. It's a presentation on a concept on how the next-gen GUI could be.

Here's the video: http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/15/ui-nerdgasm-alert-10-gui-is-sweeping-us-off-our-fingers/

Incredible, they are inventing the keyboard!


... just kidding ... actually there has to be some way to get rid of the mouse, indeed. They should only
think about copying Vi and using the same surface to input or command modes, instead of the attached keyboard.

[LIB53]

The thing about the whole concept that was really interesting to me was the linear desktop. It's a cool and simple idea, and for the most part it would work. That's actually how i use my multiple for the most part. The problem i see with it is when the user needs to compare data between various apps and needs a 2D desktop order stuff in a grid. It also looks to be a pain for drag and drop. Apps are always maximized, and on my desktop, nautilus is rarely maximized because i use it mostly to drag and drop stuff so i can interact with file based programs (for example, GIMP). Of course, that can be easily solved by such a creative mind.