Bazaar Explorer prototype showing suggested Bazaar menu for IDEs

[Talden]

On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 7:02 PM, Ben Finney <ben+bazaar at benfinney.id.au> wrote:
> Russel Winder <russel.winder at concertant.com> writes:
>
>> I am of the firm opinion (backed by anecdotal evidence only though)
>> that a GUI interface is necessary for there to be any widespread take
>> up of a technology. Also, sadly, there has to be a Windows GUI for
>> there to be any take up at all.
>
> You must mean something different by one or more of “technology”,
> “widespread”, or “take up” from what I would expect those terms to
> mean. Plenty of technologies without Windows GUI have long had
> widespread take-up: GNU+Linux, Apache, BIND, even Git.

Nope sorry I have to agree with some of what Russell is saying.
There're more Windows users than anything else (or at least are forced
to use Windows in their paid position) and the majority of those users
will also want a GUI.  Is this changing? Sorta. The proportion using
Windows may be falling but I doubt the number demanding a GUI is
falling much.

I personally use the command-line more that anything else and
occasionally Tortoise. IDE integration is handy but not my most common
interaction with the VCS. I'm the exception in my team though and this
has been true in all of the other teams I've worked with - many users
want a GUI and seem to struggle without it (despite being very capable
in other areas).

I do I disagree with Russell that most users aren't programmers
though.  I'm sure that the largest proportion of users are programmers
or directly attached to the programming process - this proportion
might be falling though as VCS tool visibility keeps improving.

--
Talden