RE: Ease of use (was Call for constructive user criticism.)

["Fox, Kevin M" <KMFox mail bhi-erc com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Iain [mailto:nodatadj@webtribe.net]
> Sent: Monday, August 09, 1999 10:50 AM
> To: Fox, Kevin M; mawarkus@t-online.de; gnome-list@gnome.org
> Subject: Re: Ease of use (was Call for constructive user criticism.)
> 
> 
> > Ok, maby a requirement is not the correct word. Maby 
> requireing that the
> > program has 2 interfaces. The programmer can then code the 
> interfaces
> > him/herself or use glade if he/she wants.
> 
>     But this is only easy with libglade. To do this by hand 
> is rather hard.
> And there are very few benefits from this that I can see.
> 

Yes it is hard otherwise, but it is worth it to hide the complex features
that normally should not be seen by normal users, and still allow the guru's
access. Otherwise a program has to be ether a toster, or a jigsaw puzzle.
With 2 interfaces, it can be both.

> > Yes, but, it would help out the computer people who dont 
> know much about
> > computers. And the "slightly insulting" part will help 
> people want to
> learn
> > the advanced stuff. No one wants to look stupid. :)
> 
> People should learn stuff because they want to, not because 
> the computer is
> treating them as a idiot.

True. But, it allows them to still use the programs when they dont know how
to use a computer and work themselves up to the advanced level. Presenting a
new user with 10,000 buttons would just make the user go bonkerz, but
presenting the user with the 100 or so buttons he/she needs to start off
with will make learning go faster.

> An insulting or patronising interface is possibly the worst 
> thing you can
> give a program.
> 

I agree. 
If you make 1 interface easy and simple to use, and the other advanced and
more difficult to use, it allows the user to choose if he/she is ready to
use the complex stuff. It dosn't need to be insulting, it just needs to be
very simple to use.

> iain
> 
>