Re: Get rid of the scrollbars

[Ross Smith <myxiplx googlemail com>]

Huh?  You're seriously arguing that a tiny thumbnail is easier to use
than a scroll bar that spans the entire height of the window?

I'm sorry, but I really don't see the problem with scrollbars.  They
do their job well, and take up a minimal amount of screen space.

If you're going to suggest replacing them, you need to find something that:
- Is intuitive to grasp for the user
- Allows you to scroll
   * one line at a time,
   * one page at a time,
   * arbitrary distances
   * immediately to either end of a document
- Gives you an immediate visual indication of the size of a document.
- Has controls large enough that it's easy to work with

Anything that can't meet those criteria is going to be a step
backwards, and is going to meet some heavy resistance from users I'm
afraid.

Ross


On Tue, May 19, 2009 at 8:42 AM, foss[ilized]
<fosslistmail googlemail com> wrote:
> On 5/15/09, Fernando <ferkiwi gmail com> wrote:
>> On Thu, May 14, 2009 at 4:48 AM, foss[ilized]
>> <fosslistmail googlemail com> wrote:
>>> Just a thought: one of the ugliest graphical items I see on almost all
>>> of today's desktop environments is the scrollbar.
>>>
>>> I think it's time to get rid of scrollbars. With the push toward
>>> "touch" computing, the scrollbar becomes a hindrance rather than an
>>> aid to navigation. Users with large, wide or "clumsy" fingers are at a
>>> disadvantage when trying to click, press or drag a scrollbar to pan
>>> (move) a window up, down, left or right.
>>
>> The problem is not scrollbars... What you are searching for is an
>> easier way to scroll, I don't see why scrollbars have to be removed
>> for getting that.
>
> Well, the problem for me is the scrollbars as a navigation tool. As an
> indicator, maybe it has its uses. However, there are alternatives.
> Look no further than the typical role-playing game. Instead of scrollbars
> they have maps, which may or may not work as navigation tools.
>
> The Gimp implements this mini-map concept when dealing with images
> or views too large to fit in the screen. Of course on a small screen, such
> a mini-map will be tinier than mini and will be just as difficult to use as a
> scrollbar.
>
> For an approximation of my idea of scrollbar-less navigation, take a look at
> (warning: fancy Javascript!) the home page of Sabayon Linux
> http://www.sabayonlinux.org/.) Of course, it may be argued that the
> screenshot bar is itself a giant scrollbar. My idea is to have the navigation
> surface large enough for "fat" fingers
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