Re: First UI component needing replacement.

[colin z robertson <c z robertson ndirect co uk>]

On Mon, Aug 14, 2000 at 02:07:18AM -0600, Dylan Griffiths wrote:
> You know what I hate?  When the computer thinks it's smarter than me but
> isn't.  Like, not even close.
> 
> Yes, auto complete makes sense if you type slowly (< 40wpm), AND if you
> visit a small subset of sites, but every time I have had the misfortune to
> use a system with auto complete, I have hated it.  An explicit request for
> autocompletion is cool, I like hitting tab to see my options or save some
> typing.  However, when I use Netscape on Windows and decide to go to a new
> URL and it tries to "out wit me" by autocompletely at a rate only slightly
> faster than my typing, I want to scream.  The few times I've used IE 5
> "enabled" PCs where they've shoved this "strap the user down, hold their
> eyes open, and drip water into them" clockwork-orange like approach to auto
> completetion in every dialog, I've just GIVEN UP and moved on.
> 
> Yes, it's that bad.  Yes, I hate it that much.  You'd think that they'd
> include a way to turn it off.  No such luck.
> 
> That's why I'm hoping we get a good way of letting the user signal for
> help.  Since tab has been taken, we'll have to get creative.  Perhaps
> alt+tab, etc.  But I'd prefer to not allow auto-complete into anything
> unless we 1) provide a way to toggle it, and 2) have it in a sane default
> (like off).
> 
> I think it's not apropos to this particular discussion, since selecting the
> file name from the listview works far better anyway (even via keyboard
> shortcuts) :)

Well, I'm not so sure. Ken Fox's proposals for aggressive computer
intervention have some strong implications for how the rest of the
dialog functions. However, there appears to be a consensus against the
majority of his proposals.

If autocompletion is to be an option there are three possible states:
automatic (Netscape selected text or IE drop down menu), requested
(tab equivalent), or off. One characteristic of the automatic
autocompletion is that it occurs in a text field which can only
contain one value. I am of the belief that an open dialog must support
multiple selection. Automatic autompletion in a multiply selecting
text field could be ugly, though possible.

I'd suggest a default of requested autocompletion. If it's off by
default users will never discover it, and I think many users would
like it. (User testing, perhaps?) And I think it should be discussed
now. The last thing we want is application developers making their own
customised dialogs with non-standard implementations of
autocompletion.

colin

  _____________________________                            ____
  rtnl  http://rational.cjb.net     c.z.robertson@ndirect.co.uk
  ak    http://kitching.cjb.net                    icq 13294163