Re: [Usability] Tab view in Panther vs Jaguar

[Joshua Ginsberg <joshg myrealbox com>]

I feel like the new design while it has the same function as tabs cannot 
properly be called "tabbed" because visually they aren't tabs.

I think there are things about each design that make them easy to 
understand. With the Jaguar shot, the blue bar and the raised sub-canvas 
make it clear that the blue tab refers to the content below it. And it 
suggests that the two recessed white tabs could bring up their own 
content for the sub-canvas.

The Panther shot is clear but in different ways. The vertical offset of 
the "tabs" downward make it clear that the three "tabs" refer to the 
subcanvas below. And since the sub-canvas is recessed, and darkened, I 
think it is clear that the three "tabs" above it dictate the subcanvas' 
content.

Is one better than the other? No. They're just different. I think the 
Jaguar shot having the blue colored line above the subcanvas is 
distracting, so I think the Panther one is more elegant. But they both 
do their job and as long as the visual cue is consistently used across 
the OS, I could support either. However continuing to refer to the 
Panter widget as "tab-view" is confusing, because they simply don't look 
like tabs.

-jag

Hasbullah Bin Pit wrote:
> I've notice that tab view in MacOSX Jaguar and panther is so different.
>
> http://www.arstechnica.com/reviews/003/panther/macosx-10.3-4.html#tab-views
>
> any comment about it?
>
> my comment is, Panther tab view doesnt look like a tab.
> it might confuse user.
>
> but, i dont know why the did the tab view like that.