Gripe: Slabs and Unix
nwcs
Posts: 13,386 ✭✭✭
I posted a variant of this across the street, but I thought I'd bring it here, too, and expand on the thought.
I have to admit I'm getting a bit tired of reading the constant harangue against slabs. But as I thought about it, I realized that the argument is very much the same as the one about graphical interfaces and command line interfaces in UNIX years ago.
Back in the day, when UNIX and DOS were king, and the first graphical interfaces came out the establishment said GUIs wouldn't work. That graphical interfaces were "toys" and not productive. That they were slow and useless. And everyone knows that serious computer people only use command line interfaces. Constantly, they bashed products like the Macintosh and Windows. There was this air of superiority that said that only the people who could rebuild their kernels or master grep could be considered a legitimate computer user.
Yet the small minority that favored graphical interfaces claimed usability and productivity as their main benefits. They made the computer more accessible to the masses and opened their eyes to the possibilities. That the vast majority of people don't need to know how to compile xwindows so they could have 3 xterm windows up or be limited to memorizing commands to be typed in (who can forget such things as control+shift+alt+f3 and junk like that). And that minority grew. And innovative products came out to the ridicule of the establishment.
So fast forward to 2003. Who won? Although UNIX and DOS are still out there, the war was won by the graphical interfaces. And even UNIX has adopted several types of GUIs. The establishment was wrong and the market was powered by people who looked at things differently.
How does this relate to slabs? Well, it is my observation that there is a great elitism going on here. The same type of elitism I saw in the past in the computer world. The guys "in the know" saying how collecting should be done. That slabs are harmful to the hobby and will have a deliterious effect. Same type of thing UNIX/DOS people said of programs written for GUI based platforms. But if the market passes those people by, all that is left are prophecies of doom for slabs.
So what am I saying here? I'm saying I'm tired of reading the same tirade against slabs. And that if the market accepts slabs in increasing measure (as it did with graphical interface based systems), then the market will pass those by who aren't with it. And all indications are that the market is increasing its acceptance of slabs.
Neil
I have to admit I'm getting a bit tired of reading the constant harangue against slabs. But as I thought about it, I realized that the argument is very much the same as the one about graphical interfaces and command line interfaces in UNIX years ago.
Back in the day, when UNIX and DOS were king, and the first graphical interfaces came out the establishment said GUIs wouldn't work. That graphical interfaces were "toys" and not productive. That they were slow and useless. And everyone knows that serious computer people only use command line interfaces. Constantly, they bashed products like the Macintosh and Windows. There was this air of superiority that said that only the people who could rebuild their kernels or master grep could be considered a legitimate computer user.
Yet the small minority that favored graphical interfaces claimed usability and productivity as their main benefits. They made the computer more accessible to the masses and opened their eyes to the possibilities. That the vast majority of people don't need to know how to compile xwindows so they could have 3 xterm windows up or be limited to memorizing commands to be typed in (who can forget such things as control+shift+alt+f3 and junk like that). And that minority grew. And innovative products came out to the ridicule of the establishment.
So fast forward to 2003. Who won? Although UNIX and DOS are still out there, the war was won by the graphical interfaces. And even UNIX has adopted several types of GUIs. The establishment was wrong and the market was powered by people who looked at things differently.
How does this relate to slabs? Well, it is my observation that there is a great elitism going on here. The same type of elitism I saw in the past in the computer world. The guys "in the know" saying how collecting should be done. That slabs are harmful to the hobby and will have a deliterious effect. Same type of thing UNIX/DOS people said of programs written for GUI based platforms. But if the market passes those people by, all that is left are prophecies of doom for slabs.
So what am I saying here? I'm saying I'm tired of reading the same tirade against slabs. And that if the market accepts slabs in increasing measure (as it did with graphical interface based systems), then the market will pass those by who aren't with it. And all indications are that the market is increasing its acceptance of slabs.
Neil
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Comments
Glenn
Glenn
WHAT THE %^&$ ARE YYOU TALKING ABOUT?
Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
<< <i>Ive been running a Sco-UNIX shop for years, as well as doing the coin thing.
WHAT THE %^&$ ARE YYOU TALKING ABOUT? >>
I think it's pretty clear what I'm talking about. I'm comparing the attitudes of the UNIX/DOS only crowd of the late 70s to mid/late 80s to the attitudes of the anti-slab people. And I'm contrasting against that what the market appears to have spoken.
I wouldn't say GUIs have won but I agree they have supplanted command shells for many applications, especially those which are visually oriented to begin with.
To use another technology analogy*, despite the preponderance today of transistors vacuum tubes still have a place our world (very high power or very low noise amplifiers) just like unix.
I mostly use computers to crunch numbers so the only thing I really like about a graphical interface is the ability to run several command line prompts at once. I'm still a lot more productive with a command line than I am with a GUI. Probably always will be!
As for coins I'm quite a bit more mainstream and prefer a slab for more pricey examples.
-JamminJ
*The rhyme is by design
But I think the analogy holds true even though all analogies break down at some point.
-JamminJ
But the point should not be lost in computer talk. What I'm saying is that the attitudes of the establishment of the coin hobby mirrors those of the establishment during the early days of the GUI. And that they may be wrong. For if the market rejects the anti-slab argument (which it appears it does for now) it speaks of a majority of collectors who don't agree with the anti-slab advocates. And if that remains true (assuming it is true) then the market will pass them by and they will be late adopters or niche players.
Neil
much for slabs or windows but I have to deal with both. BTW the previous statement doesn't apply to all, I
just find that most people want an easy path with no learning involved, most people here would be the exception.
Everything is linear if plotted log-log with a fat magic marker
I agree. Your illustration is right on target. Slab bashers can't stand the fact that slabs level the playing field for collectors. Although not perfect, a much better situation for collectors than pre-slabs.