Re: Why cluehunting ?

[Tom Vogt <tom lemuria org>]

Dan Effugas Kaminsky <effugas@best.com> wrote:
> >eyk! that's one of the worst ever "features" of word - and that means it's
> >really worse. see, I DON'T want the computer tell me "hey dumbass, you
> wrote
> >this wrong" unless I ASK for it's opinion.
> >
> >and new users WILL get confused. wanna bet?
> 
> There's a BIG difference between "grammar is bad" and "a green underline is
> bad".  HUGE HUGE HUGE.

I'm talking about the later, dan. I don't care WHAT the machine is trying to
point out to me. if I want it to take guesses at what I mean, I'll tell it
so.

> Why is it a bad thing for the computer to announce, "By the way, I can help
> you expand this" in a completely non instrusive manner?

because there IS NO "completely non instrusive manner". I know enough people
unfamiliar with word who start wondering "eh, what's that?" when that damn
thing appears for the first time. someone I know - not a dumb person, just
unfamiliar with the concept - was confused enough to stop for several
minutes to find out what he did to cause this funky line to appear. and how
to have it go away.

if I want green lines under my words, I'll tell the machine so. see, I
simply don't want a computer that tries to outsmart me. for every time he's
right, there will likely be 10 times he's just getting on my nerves.

for a more unpersonal objection: the machine should never - and I mean NEVER
- interrupt the users work with anything. in the human-machine relationship,
it should be the human who sets the pace and who decides if it's typing or
spellchecking time.


-- 
Those who do not understand Unix are condemned to reinvent it, poorly.
		-- Henry Spencer