Mollerade

following on from part I and part II

The Next GEN GUI Universe is a 3D GUI. The GUI interprets the computer in graphical form using a solar system to provide a structured approach to navigating the data held on a computer. The central core is the hardware, followed by the Kernel, Shell and Editors, and finally the programs. Clicking on any ring or planet will bring up a window showing the data stored in that category. The drafts below give an early indication of what this GUI could look like.

The file system is visually represented as is was designed. Using Unix as the example, I’ve ordered the file system as the structure is drawn, replacing the simplified circle within a circle, with a three dimensional solar system. The user can now access any part of the structure, provided they have permission.

Traditional input devices like the mouse may not suffice when we begin to look at the future GUI’s. I predict that the mouse will evolve into a gyroscopic device similar to the Wii remote, including feedback response features. Remember that this new GUI is being designed for the home, and as a result we do not want to be bound to a desk in order to use it. We are therefore obligated to design it not to need a traditional keyboard and mouse.

Clicking on any part of the operating systems structure, will rotate that structure to the centre of the screen and bring up a menu offering further information. Initially I suggest a traditional view of the data in a tabled structure. But in future I believe this view will be radically altered to display information in a naturally logical and organic way. The logic I mention may stem from initial psychological tests carried out on the user before their logon details were created. Allowing the system to order, categories and display information uniquely tailored to each users own understanding of how that data should be represented.

Going forward with this concept, i can see each computer on the network graphcially rendered as a solar system, connected by artifical gravitational forces, depending on their real world physical distances.