Re: property dialogs

[Janos Farkas <Janos.Farkas-nouce/priv-#m1kZBlKByw7WHKwa8V4BMcdT/0O lk9qw mail eon ml org>]

On 1998-03-18 at 23:46:42, Eckehard Berns wrote:
> Take xvidtune from XFree86 for an example. There are cases where you
> have to adjust the HTotal when you set the HSyncEnd to high. Those
> dialog boxed might be rare, but they exist.

I see, but this is a *very* special application, and I see no reason
to force everything else done this way, just because a very few dialog
boxes need special treatment.  Anyway, monitor signal setting is not
just rare, it can be _dangerous_, so it might even be unwise to show the
user the same interface as the rest of the friendly system...

Remember, everyday tasks should be intuitive and easy.  Rare and
dangerous tasks should be handled specially.

> And I don't think one mouse click can be that bad. [just.. click
> apply]

Think of these dialog boxes as a tool to get work done.  For common
tasks, there should be no reason to point-n-click more than absolute
necessary.

> And even when comparing dialog boxes to shell commands there should be
> an apply button. You're shell comand won't be executed until you hit
> return.  You can change your command line before. Only when you hit
> return (the apply button in dialog boxes), you can see the results.

Not really, if I'm setting the permissions with a GUI, I have already
positioned the pointer over a "+x" control, for example, and pressed the
mouse.  Requiring one more positioning and clicking, however small task
that is, is still slowing me down.  And since it can be undone, clicking
around should have the same significance as pressing a key (after all,
you can delete it later from the command line).  Think the <return> key
as "OK, I finished", not as "OK, I feel ready to let you start", and so
this key is effectively the close button, not the "apply".

But the real solution might be to support a few different schemes, so
everyone can decide which one is most familiar.

-- 
Janos - Don't worry, my address is real.  I'm just bored of spam.