How User Friendly Is The Pandora Going To Be?

[Findingmyzen]

This isn't really a big deal for me, but ever since I told my brother and sister about it they want one to...... and they're not exactly the most computer literate people in the world. Will they be able to handle it?

 

[chad78]

Nobody knows because no screenshots or descriptions of the GUI have been released.

 

[Findingmyzen]

Wow that was a quick reply . Thanks for the info, I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

 

[sindbad]

Should be fine, as it's aimed at gamers.

 

[Sphinxter]

Any qualified UNIX systems engineer should be able to handle it no problem.

 

[lubidog]

Nobody knows because no screenshots or descriptions of the GUI have been released.

He actually means the developers were so stupid they didn't use Chad's ideas for the GUI...

(But I hope it will be very userfriendly. The people behind this want to mass sell it. I hope to e able to download apps via wifi and run them direct from the device, as in the n800!)

 

[CronoTriggerfan]

Nobody knows because no screenshots or descriptions of the GUI have been released.

...which is LAME! They should at least give us something, didn't they promise screens like a week or two ago? Maybe the Pandora team should take some advice from the guys over at CSI...

And Mr. Thread Starter, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm sure the standard GUI will be fairly basic and easy to use. Even if you don't like it, though, it'll be 100% skinnable and custom GUIs can be added on as they are developed.

 

[Trip]

There will be a package manager to install software, so it should be really easy to use. Of course there will also be the option of doing everything manually for those who want to go that route

 

[Tobriand]

At least early on (in fact, before we knew it was going to be called Pandora), one of the main aims was user-friendliness without getting in the way of advanced tasks.

How much that has stayed as an aim through the changes in the rest of the project (i.e. from ~£120 but only slightly more powerful than a GP2x to £200 and the be all and end all of open handhelds), I don't know.

What we do know is that you will be able (unlike the GP32 and GP2x) to install programs for Pandora from the actual device via wifi, which, if done right, could make for a pretty newbie friendly experience for homebrew and apps.

Emulators, of course, are likely to be more complex, since obviously the roms for them can't be on the archive (that would be illegal), and including a built in installer for them might be seen as making emulation one of the aims of Pandora, which, obviously, cannot be the case for legal reasons.

All in all, it'll probably be just a bit more friendly than the GP2x and the GP32 were - i.e. if you read the files that tell you to read them (usually named readme.txt or similar) then you'll be fine.

 

[Trip]

I hope they use APT or a variation of it for any package manager that's made. We can then use APT-URL to install software directly from web sites. Can't get much easier than that

 

[emil10001]

@Tripmonkey_uk: Totally agree about the one-click install from website. (Not entirely sure, but it sounds like this is likely to happen anyways.)

 

[Trip]

@Tripmonkey_uk: Totally agree about the one-click install from website. (Not entirely sure, but it sounds like this is likely to happen anyways.)

It's features like that which can really show the advantage of using open source development. Maybe if the Pandora team do a good enough job, it will nudge some of the bigger companies into opening up their hardware a little.
I live in hope

 

[Holokauston]

Nobody knows because no screenshots or descriptions of the GUI have been released.

...which is LAME! They should at least give us something, didn't they promise screens like a week or two ago? Maybe the Pandora team should take some advice from the guys over at CSI...


You better play nice or CSI will HTML your home address and make a java applet on their cellphones to track you in real time via that same VB GUI

 

[AireTamStorm]

Nobody knows because no screenshots or descriptions of the GUI have been released.

Except yours

 

[chad78]

Except yours
Well, those were all just mock ups of what I'd like to see, and then adding in other people's suggestions. No devs have shown or described the actual shipping GUI.

 

[Trip]

Well Craigs looking for pixel artists to do the GUI but apart from that??

 

[doc5avage]

Any qualified UNIX systems engineer should be able to handle it no problem.

I lol. Also, I recommend the default gui is emacs, and the main console interpreter is based on malbolge