unity-design team mailing list archive

["frederik.nnaji@xxxxxxxxx" <frederik.nnaji@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 00:57, Ed Lin <edlin280@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
> On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 1:16 PM, Matthew Paul Thomas <mpt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
> > I don't understand why you think a single OS for multiple form factors
> > counts as getting something right. The success of iOS, Mac OS X, and
> > Android strongly suggests otherwise.
>
> Reinventing the wheel and so on. This is about the underlaying
> architecture, not the interface. iOS and Mac OS X share a lot of code,
> we don't know the Google's strategy but I'd wager on a fusion of
> Chromium OS and Android eventually. Linux kernel is the best example,
> embedded to super computer, everywhere it's the same "OS" in its
> original meaning.
>

yes, Operating System in my understanding is the kernel.
The rest is applications, or what Ayatana discusses mostly: User Interface.

I think it's easier to use technically differing equipment, if the user
interfaces are somehow similar on a symbolic, semantic or methodical level.
Whether i use a capacitative touch-screen or a mouse should not be the
deciding factor here.

The interface speaks a language, and this is usually bound to a graphical
display space and perhaps an audio output. Nowadays, color is available on
most devices, video resolutions on smartphone displays are at least what
they used to be on early WIMP machines.

So what are we talking about.. an OS, a DE or rather the Unity of
"interface" ?