Re: BE MORE SIMPLE!!!!
Gertjan Klein wrote:
>
> On Fri, 11 Jun 1999 23:25:14 -0400, "Kristopher Johnson"
> <nosleep@atl.mediaone.net> wrote:
>
> >My reaction was to
> >the people who are glad that Linux isn't too easy, because they enjoy the
> >challenge. Adversity builds character, I guess.
>
> Well said. In addition, the reverse also seems to apply;
> point-and-click interfaces suck, because they are too easy. Windows
> could learn a lot from Linux in terms of performance, power and
> stability, but Linux doesn't even come close to the ease of installation
> and use you'll find with Windows. This is not something to be proud of,
> or something to blame on (new) users. It would be nice if the people you
> mention above realize that the vast majority of computer users in
> general are absolutely not interested in learning about operating
> systems, file systems, the files in /etc, and so on - they just want to
> get a job done, as quickly and easily as possible. There is absolutley
> nothing wrong with that.
>
> >If you like to do things the hard way, then fine. But it doesn't really
> >mean that you're more intelligent or more knowledgeable than people who
> >click a few buttons in a GUI to accomplish the same thing.
I would add that GUI does not equate to ease-of-use. Look at the
oft-derided dselect: it's actually quite a good wizard (takes you
through everything you need to do step by step). The bad parts of it
are probably the slowness and (moreso) the unconventional keystroke
bindings. Wizards are actually a way to get back to a more linear style
of user interaction, which of course can be quite naturally done either
in ncurses or even straight console style programming.
>
> Even if it did mean that, so what?
>
> Alan Cooper has written an interesting book about user interface
> design (he prefers to call it interaction design). It addresses a lot of
> the issues that users have to deal with when operating high-tech
> equipment like computers; these issues are universal, and apply to
> interacting with Linux as well. A sample chapter is available online at
> amazon:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/book-excerpt/0672316498/vbtechniques/002-1455712-0642063
>
That is an interesting read. I've encountered Cooper's work before.
Don't agree with all of it, but it always bears nuggets of insight. I
liked this in particular:
"The people who manage the creation of software-based products are
typically
either hostage to programmers because they are insufficiently
technical, or they are
all too sympathetic to programmers because they are programmers
themselves."
Personally, I think that explains a lot of "Y2K": managers have allowed
themselves to abdicate responsibility for what goes on inside the glass
room. Right now, there's even a bill before Congress to limit
companies' liability for Y2K problems. As if they're acts of God or
something!
Sorry to go so far off-topic... (I did mention dselect :-))
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