[R-gui] [Rd] R GUI considerations (was: R, Wine, and multi-threadedness)

[Thomas Friedrichsmeier]

> If you want users to be productive, you have to give them
> something they can easily incorporate within the tools they use
> on a daily basis. No big applications with everything locked in,
> but a set of programs or commands that do specific tasks, with
> an easy to understand input and output. You need something that
> works in an open environment, so the user can use existing
> skills. With a GUI that does "everything", the user has to learn
> from scratch all the things that make "everything" happen.

Maybe you're just seeking this discussion for the fun of it. In this case, I 
won't stop you. If not, do you really think it is going anywhere?
You don't want/need a GUI? Fine. Don't use one, and don't write one. Do some 
others feel the need for a GUI? Yes, they do. Could there be at least some 
reason for that? Well, it's not like you can just "start using R", even if 
you do have the statistical background, and even if you do have basic 
programming knowledge. Is a bloated GUI less intimidating to some than a 
command-line? Yes. Do all GUIs necessarily make extra sure to hide you from 
everything going on behind the scenes, so you will be kept locked in, and 
helpless for ever? No. Should everybody be forced to use a GUI? No. Does 
anybody advocate otherwise? Not as far as I can see.
I don't think there's anything more to be said on this topic.

Regards
Thomas Friedrichsmeier