Re: [Evolution] Reuse same window

[Eric Lambart <lambart got net>]

On Fri, 2001-09-21 at 09:28, Zot O'Connor wrote:
> You know the responses here are confusing.  I asked about a standard
> practice in all other mailers I have used, and I am told to change how
> I've used GUI mailers for 7 years...  

Well Zot, I'm afraid I have to say "get used to it."

While most Ximian developers are very open minded and (for now) point to
the need to avoid adding new features before 1.0 is released, there are
a few who respond negatively to any idea anyone has for doing something
another way, and unfortunately some of them seem to be single-handedly
responsible for developing some vital part of the software.  They "can't
see anyone else wanting that feature" except you, or me, or whomever,
even though every other major MUA in the world might have it.

In this particular case I have never wanted the feature you describe,
but you raise some good points for why it should be so.  One of your
STRONGEST points in my opinion is that major competing mailers offer
this feature, and it is also a fairly simple one.  Whether or not I or
anyone else thinks it's a good idea should be irrelevant.  To beat the
competition, you have to at least achieve their level of usability, and
then make yourself better--in some combination of increased usability
and value.

Giving a product away for free is no longer a reasonable excuse for
doing whatever the hell you as a developer want to do, when you would
actually _prefer_ that people eventually BUY your product to support
your company.  That actually makes the potential _customer_ be of some
importance, and means the user shouldn't merely be grateful that you
have created this fancy piece of software, even if it doesn't provide a
feature you consider vital.

I will and have paid for excellent closed-source software such as the
Opera web browser, but I would definitely prefer paying to aid the
development of quality open-source software... as long as I feel like I
am actually treated as a customer, not just another whiny user.

I don't mean to impugn the Evolution team in general; most are very
responsive, patient (you'd have to be!) and obviously hard-working, and
I am very grateful for the product as it now stands.  I just really get
annoyed with the few who are so closed-minded they snap back at any
suggestions or bug reports with a few words and no reasonable
explanation of their position.

Questioning why you want a certain feature is fine--even I couldn't see
any reason for the feature you describe, in fact it seemed absurd to me
at first--but simply refusing to listen or even care is, in my opinion,
inexcusable.

With the unproven and still very tenuous open-source software business
model, I think it is especially important to treat the customer as
such.  In the open-source "free software" world, companies face a far
greater challenge than traditional companies when it comes to satisfying
users, because _every_ user must be treated as if they were a paying
customer.  If you treat a user well and provide a good product, they
might become a paying customer--but _never_ will if you treat them with
disrespect and handily dismiss their ideas.

Well, that's what I have to say about that.

Cheers
--Eric

> It is standard window programming to reuse the same resources if possible.  
> On Thu, 2001-09-20 at 23:14, NotZed wrote:
>
> > > Simple, I have 24 mew message. 3 are important.  I click on the 3 I want
> > > immediately.
> >
> > But you can only read 1 at a time anyway.
>
> I mean I click on the messages as I go through them.  I often get 24-30
> messages at once and need to read the important ones first.
>
>
> > > > I'm sure most other people find it far more useful to be able to open up
> > > > multiple message windows (by double-clicking or whatever method) rather
> > > > than being forced to use one.
> > >
> > > I'd have to disagree.  This is the first mailer that I have ever tried
> > > that behaves this way.  Some mailers have an option, but all default to
> > > the reuse method.
> > >
> > > You can test this with Netscape or Outlook for example.
> >
> > So if you have your screen and windows big enough to read a message, and
> > click on the message list at the same time, why don you just make your 
> > window bigger?  It contains the same full message as the popup window.
>
> You are assuming alot here.  Most people have 14 inch monitors.  Having
> the pane preview in the same window means either a very small message,
> or a message list of 5-6 messages.  ON my workstation, I can tweak it,
> but on my laptop, or any of the other 3 monitors, it is not.
>
> Most people I watch checking email do this, this include Suits, techs,
> and non-techs.  My wife for instance is on several lists, and rather
> than learn to sort or filter, she scans the subjects (sometimes she get
> 90 messages at a mail check). She clicks on the ones she wants as she
> goes through the list.  Her monitor was not big enough to have the
> preview pane, so she double clicks on the message and pops the note up. 
> When I gave her a bigger monitor and showed her the preview pane, she
> complained she could not see enough subject lines.  
>
> Our Au Pair does the same in both Pegasus Mail, and Netscape..
>
> Again, I stunned that people do not see this as the norm for windowed
> messages (as opposed to the preview pane).  I mean even a cheeseball
> destroy window, create new window would work (I swear there was a
> version of netscape that did that).
> -- 
> Zot O'Connor
>
> http://www.ZotConsulting.com
> http://www.WhiteKnightHackers.com