From: smoliar@maclane.iss.nus.sg (stephen smoliar)
Subject: Re: Virtuality as a system of actions
Date: Sat, 5 Oct 1991 01:33:42 GMT
Organization: Institute of Systems Science, NUS, Singapore



In article <1991Oct4.204919.10329@milton.u.washington.edu>
HSR4@vax.oxford.ac.uk (Old Baldie) writes:

>I'm not as clued up on some of the facets of Apple's System 7 as I should be,
>but I have a feeling that they are exploring the use of 'guides' - male and
>female cartoon characters who will assist Users with questions.  (I may be
>off-beam here and it might be Xerox or some other company employing the
>metaphor - if you know differently I'd welcome some feedback).  I gather that
>the characters' mouth will open and shut in the style of the best puppet shows
>to match the speech (not clear if this is to be balloons or actual digitised
>sentences).

I'm now running System 7.  All you get is an optional help feature presented as
comic-book balloons which appear when you point at certain key points in the
screen.  (Of course, it only works for software for which those help messages
have been installed.)  Perhaps someone from Apple can let us know if Apple
originally had more elaborate intentions for this facility or if grander
approaches are lurking in our future.
-- 
Stephen W. Smoliar; Institute of Systems Science
National University of Singapore; Heng Mui Keng Terrace
Kent Ridge, SINGAPORE 0511
Internet:  smoliar@iss.nus.sg