I like where you are headed with this. I’ve put some thought into this recently and I’ll post the condensed form.
I believe you are correct, in a sense, that as long as there are minds there will be text. However, I believe it should be considered from a slightly different angle. As long as there are minds there will be language. Text is one representation of that and it is a representation we can manipulate easily computers. This makes text a powerful and simple medium that can be used pretty much everywhere (f.g. Unix-like systems; networking protocols; data storage).
Language is universal. Intelligent entities will create and use language to communicate with other entities or with themselves (i.e. sticky note). We have been proven capable of learning language even in some of the most input restrictive states, such as the case of Helen Keller. Language can be seen, heard, or felt. I wouldn’t be surprised if some creatives come up with a way to smell or taste it. Computers can be read, heard, or felt (f.g. Braille terminals). Text is a useful medium for storing the basic information that is then transformed into the output most suitable for the final representation given to the end user.
Let me bring this back around to your post. Because of the aforementioned reasoning, while I generally agree with your post I do disagree that text must be consumed visually or in blocks. The information contained in text should be transmitted in whatever way fits the user best. I realize this is vague, but I think this a starting point to thinking further on how to best get information to the user. Personally, I've come to the conclusion that a flexible core application should send and receive inputs and outputs to a seperate interface application. This may take the form of a typical client-server style system. This way, the interface can be more easily to the user's interfacing preferences and the core application only concerns itself with its task. Large blocks of text may not be well suited in certain instances, such as the case with screen readers or Braille terminals.
I'm trying not to be too general or vague here. I don't feel I've presented enough to really provide any actionable insight here. But I see this post is getting long, and I will leave it at this for now as potential food for thought for yourself or others. It's a concept I'm still thinking about how to best implement, and the details of implementation across various OS's and devices complicate matters.
I believe you are correct, in a sense, that as long as there are minds there will be text. However, I believe it should be considered from a slightly different angle. As long as there are minds there will be language. Text is one representation of that and it is a representation we can manipulate easily computers. This makes text a powerful and simple medium that can be used pretty much everywhere (f.g. Unix-like systems; networking protocols; data storage).
Language is universal. Intelligent entities will create and use language to communicate with other entities or with themselves (i.e. sticky note). We have been proven capable of learning language even in some of the most input restrictive states, such as the case of Helen Keller. Language can be seen, heard, or felt. I wouldn’t be surprised if some creatives come up with a way to smell or taste it. Computers can be read, heard, or felt (f.g. Braille terminals). Text is a useful medium for storing the basic information that is then transformed into the output most suitable for the final representation given to the end user.
Let me bring this back around to your post. Because of the aforementioned reasoning, while I generally agree with your post I do disagree that text must be consumed visually or in blocks. The information contained in text should be transmitted in whatever way fits the user best. I realize this is vague, but I think this a starting point to thinking further on how to best get information to the user. Personally, I've come to the conclusion that a flexible core application should send and receive inputs and outputs to a seperate interface application. This may take the form of a typical client-server style system. This way, the interface can be more easily to the user's interfacing preferences and the core application only concerns itself with its task. Large blocks of text may not be well suited in certain instances, such as the case with screen readers or Braille terminals.
I'm trying not to be too general or vague here. I don't feel I've presented enough to really provide any actionable insight here. But I see this post is getting long, and I will leave it at this for now as potential food for thought for yourself or others. It's a concept I'm still thinking about how to best implement, and the details of implementation across various OS's and devices complicate matters.