Re: Err..To Desktop Or Not To Desktop?

[Bowie Poag <bjp primenet com>]

On Wed, 29 Jul 1998, Federico Mena Quintero wrote:

> >  It was agreed upon, about a month ago, that the current Style Guide youre
> >  referring to (v1.0) isn't going to cut it. I was asked by Federico
> >  (Quartic) to head up the project to construct a second, more comprehensive
> >  revision of the Style Guide (v2.0).
> 
> I specifically asked for the current style guide to be revised and
> extended.  I do not want the current style guide to just be dropped
> and rewritten from scratch, since there is good stuff in it and it
> makes no sense to throw it away.

Again, perhaps I should have been a little clearer:

V2.0 of the Style Guide will be based largely on the points listed in the
original (1.0) Style Guide. Theres no sense in tossing the baby out with
the bathwater.

> You have been given the responsibility of coordinating the style guide
> creation process; if you do not have the skills to do this, please
> tell me and I will happily appoint someone else.

I easilly have the skills and experience to perform the task you've asked
me to accomplish; But if my time is going to be spent trying to CONVINCE
why things need to be done in a certain way, then we are ALL wasting our
time. I also realize I cant exactly say "trust me" , and expect everyone
to immediately fall into line.

I`m trying to coordinate people. Getting everyone in-step, marching to the
same drummer. Instead, i've got people thinking i'm some sort of dictator,
who wants the Style Guide creation process to be TOTALLY closed to any
sort of involvement from the community; This could not be ANY further from
the truth. 

There's nothing I can do, short of individually TELEPHONING each person on
the mailing list, in order to explain it to them personally. And if you're
willing to foot the phone bill for it, i'd be glad to.

I want to create. Not sit here and bicker with the very people I'm going
to need to rely upon for valuable input, in the creation process.

> Now, some information for people who want to work on the style guide.
> Having much discussion on "how should we structure the style guide" is
> pointless, as the work has already been done for us.  I would really
> like to ask all the people interested in the style guide to give a
> good read to the Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines (HIG).  Apple
> has done an excellent job of writing this book.  I have a copy of it
> sitting on the bookshelf here.  Even better, it is available online
> here:

Totally agreed. I've been trying for weeks to locate a copy of it in
print, for use as a skeleton framework for V2 of the UISG. I really,
really like what I see in Apple's HIG.

> Apart from giving specific instructions on how things should look, the
> Mac guidelines have the very useful descriptions of the behavior and
> semantics of the user interface controls.  Developers can just follow
> these guidelines instead of having to think "what should happen when
> the user rubber-bands this?  should it do this or should it do that?".
> That is a very important part of the style guide that needs to be
> addressed.

Absolutely. Now, if I can just convince everyone that I'm not Mussolini..

:)

Bowie

> 
>   Federico
>