The Rise of Geographic Interfaces: Revolutionizing Computing for the Post-Desktop Era

The computing world has seen a profound shift in the way users interact with technology, moving away from the traditional desktop metaphor of file folders, documents, and icons. The geographic interface, which aims to depict objects and spaces from the real world, has emerged as a promising solution for navigating complex networks and systems. Novell's Corsair technology, in particular, has been touted as a game-changer in the field, offering a three-dimensional, photographic color image of a user's workspace with interactive tools and resources.

Key Takeaways:

• Novell's Corsair technology is a geographic interface that presents a three-dimensional, photographic color image of a user's workspace, with interactive tools and resources.
• Corsair runs on Novell's Netware network operating system, which is used in over 70% of networked computer systems, and is compatible with major desktop operating systems, including Windows, Macintosh, and Unix.
• Corsair is designed to help users navigate complex networks and systems, particularly in a post-desktop era where networks are becoming increasingly pervasive.
• Novell plans to sell Corsair to desktop computer manufacturers, pricing it low ($1-$2 per copy in volumes of 250,000 or more), and will offer site licenses for large organizations.
• Corsair's visual interface can be customized to fit individual users' needs, allowing network administrators to control access to resources and machines not depicted.
• Corsair will be offered with a CD-ROM library of standard objects, and Novell anticipates a thriving market for custom products from independent producers.
• Corsair's use of computer resources is sparing, running on as little as 4 megabytes of memory and occupying from 5 to 10 megabytes of hard disk space.

Statistics:

• 70% of networked computer systems use Novell's Netware network operating system.
• Corsair is compatible with major desktop operating systems, including Windows, Macintosh, and Unix.
• Novell plans to price Corsair at $1-$2 per copy in volumes of 250,000 or more.
• Corsair's use of computer resources: 4 megabytes of memory, 5-10 megabytes of hard disk space.

Sources:

• "The place where geographic metaphors matter is when the complexity of the system begins to approach the complexity of the real world," said Paul Saffo, director of the Institute for the Future in Menlo Park, Calif. (Source: unknown)
• "Telephones were taught how to use the network, so that people didn't have to understand how the network worked," said Robert Frankenberg, Novell's chairman, chief executive, and president. (Source: unknown)
• "The network administrator can customize the interface for each individual user," said Neil A. McElwee, Novell's director of marketing for advanced access applications. (Source: unknown)
• "The good news about physical-space metaphors is you can hand them to somebody who doesn't know beans about computing, and pretty quickly they figure out what to do," said Jerry Michalski, editor of Release 1.0, an industry newsletter. (Source: unknown)