Re: The target user and consequences

[JR Tipton <nails maybe net>]

On Fri, 7 Aug 1998, Stephan Pfab wrote:
> GNOME will be (more or less) different from every other GUI.
> That means that everybody will have to learn to use GNOME efficiently.

Why?  Why can't someone who doesn't know a damn thing about GNOME use it
efficiently *without* learning?  

> Accepting that GNOME is different we should make it clear to the user 
> too. If we follow any other GUI too closely he will
> not tolerate the differences. 

The user shouldn't have to accept anything, relatively speaking.

When I use a toaster, all I accept is that "toast takes up space, I want
my toaster small, so I can only do two pieces of toast at a time" and that
"toasting isn't instant."  Other than that, it's straighforward: drop the
slices into the slots, push down.  If I want to be a power user, I turn
the knob. 

The toaster accepts that it is a tool of the human; I do not accept that I
must conform to the toaster.
 
> The consequences:
> 
>   We should not follow the Windows look or feel or menu order ...
>   (substitute Amiga/Next/Mac)
>   if there is no good reason to do so.

Exactly.  As a side note, however, do not forget that GNOME shouldn't be
different for the sake of being different.  Each of these GUIs has its
pluses and minuses.
 
>   We need visual clues to brand applications as GNOME applications.
>   (I love the foot).
>   Some phantasic GUI elements to distinguish us from the rest,
>   would be great. (Not everything new, but something)
>   (colorreaction, ...)

The foot is perfect (IMHO).
Again, as a side note: be sure to define "fantastic GUI element" as
something very functional and self-explanatory... no?
 
>   (binding "alt" to menu open seams like a waste of an modifier).

I personally find it handy, sometimes, and I once worked with many average
users who felt the same way.  I'd watch them hit ALT-F and then use the
arrow keys to select save.
 
>   We need to come up with this standard pretty fast.
>   (The coders will hate the GUI proposel people
>    if they have to change their programs dramatically.)

Then the coders shouldn't be coding.  Let them not forget that their best
interest is the user's best interest, same as the GUI Style Guide people.

>   We have to accept compromises.
>   (I will sacrifice emacs, the program I use most of the time.
>    What do you sacrifice ? Menu entries ? ...)

I second this.  To those who might say, "no compromises!" think about the
toaster: if the toaster had no compromises, it would allow for hundreds of
thousands of pieces of toast :)  

Just as space and time restrict the essential difficulties of designing
physical tools, human perception and time restrict the essential
difficulties of software design.

william r. tipton