Re: [Usability] In short, I hate windows. (Hans Petter Jansson)

[Jacob Beauregard <jake13jake comcast net>]

I'm taking an HCI class this semester. I've pretty much lost interest in
this topic because it's been misinterpreted by many. 

On Wed, 2007-01-17 at 23:10 -0500, Rodney Dawes wrote:
> The problem with usability, is that it mostly isn't. The window
> management metaphor however, does fit well with the limitations we have,
> and with how people manage things in real life. People multitask. They
> eat, play video games, drive around, talk on the phone, use the PC,
> draw silly pictures, and do many other things, simultaneously. Trying to
> tell them that they can't do that any more, will make it harder to use
> the computer, not easier.
> 
> What would really help, would be moving away from strictly having the
> "desktop" as we know it in software, and get away from the single or
> very few displays, pointing device, and keyboard way of thinking. When
> I'm working, I want to get up and move around, and do many things at
> once. I don't like being stuck in front of the same screen all day long,
> sitting in the same chair, with my hands in the same position, my
> fingers moving slightly, to fill in the words on my screen. I want my
> desktop computer to be more of a central docking station and server,
> more than a place I am required to be to get things done.
> 
> Another common term for Usability is HCI (Human-Computer Interaction).
> However, it's still about how I can sit in this one position, and work
> more efficiently. It's much more about the computer, than the human.
> It lacks a certain amount of ergonomics and fluidity. It would be nice
> if someone could get us out of the rut we keep digging deeper, and help
> us leap into the 21st century, where we should be living.
> 
> -- dobey
> 
> 
> On Wed, 2007-01-17 at 23:22 +0100, pohlmannmark72 wrote:
> > Apart from the proposed functionality, it would be confusing for a
> > user to have that kind of framed environment. For years, users are
> > manipulating windows all day long. Changing that would be a very deep
> > change in their way to use a window. I would not recommand that.
> > Beside that, I do agree that this would be a very quick way to switch
> > from one window to another. To conclude, as a reminder, you could use
> > the ALT+TAB key combination to have that feature.
> 
> 
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