Re: tlug: Re: Need info. about Japanese and Linux (OFF TOPIC!)

[Fredric Fredricson <fredric.fredriksson@example.com>]

Uchida.Masatomo@example.com, masatomo@example.com wrote:
> Fredric wrote:
> > There are two questions that are important to us: do You need a GUI to
> > sell
> > machines? and does a GUI make any sense from the operator point of view?
>  I don't often use Linux console. Is it possible to show 'Trobule' in big
> red letters in your Console? Does console indicate where the trouble exists
> using some diagrams?
>  Generally speaking to add such functions, using X-window system is far
> easy than to stick to console.
You are of course right that a GUI offers some interesting possibilities
for
the operator interface. Personally I would love to add a GUI to our
machines. 
The real problem is, as always, resources. 
And I am still not 100% convinced that a GUI adds that much to _our_
operator 
interface.

An example:
A very frequent situation is that the machine runs out of components in
a 
reel somewhere. In a GUI interface You could show a picture of the
machine 
and mark the position of the empty component reel with a flashing red
dot 
or something. In our current interface we print a line in the "operator 
attention"-window and flashes a LED at the reel itself.

The operator interface in our case is much more than the screen and the
keyboard. There are buttons all over the place and a small keyboard on
top of it. (My dream is to have two buttons: <start> and <stop>).

Where we are measured by our operators is on the throughput they get.
So far no operator has asked for a GUI or functions that could only be
implemented in a GUI. Upper level management ask for a GUI, though.
They also ask for Windows/NT.

Still, we will probably add a GUI within a year or two. I think that it
has some interesting possibilities now that I have seen the light pen.
I donut think a mouse would work well in our environment.
> 
> > Our users main interest is getting their products out the door.
> > User interfaces is not even on the list.
> > Notice how this contradicts my statement that GUI sells machines. Well,
> > so what, this is the real world. Never assume that the operators get
> > to choose equipment and upper management care far more about bells and
> > whistles. And GUIs.
>  In my factory user interface is very important to select robots or
> NC machines. Still robots and NC machines cause troubles. To fix these
> problems user interface is very important. Imagine the robot indicated
> trobule in unknown language. While the operator is using dictionaries,
> the machine continues to be halted. This might be the reason that your
> customer wish to see Japanese on your console.
I guess our Japanese customers wants Japanese because their operators 
very often don't speak English. They are of course right.
Our equipment is designed to be operated by anyone after a one day of
training. The best operators are women between 40 and 50 years old (this
is at least true in Europe and the US).

In our business there are computers that monitors factories too. All of
them use a GUI to display the assembly lines. In addition to this there 
is a light tower on each machine that flashes red when there is a 
problem (the light tower is an option but so far all our machines in 
Japan has it).

/Fredric

PS. This is an interesting discussion. It forces me to really consider
our operator interface. It also gave me an idea on how to sell the
GUI idea to our bean counters. Maybe we could get rid of _some_ buttons
and lamps and save money with a GUI. Hmmm......
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