From kde-core-devel Thu Apr 27 20:47:28 2000 From: Andreas Pour Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2000 20:47:28 +0000 To: kde-core-devel Subject: Re: PROPOSAL: "Mac" menubar as default X-MARC-Message: https://marc.info/?l=kde-core-devel&m=95686860311941 mosfet wrote: Hi, > > > The only people who say the mac-menubar is counter-intuitive is those > trained on Windows and unwilling to learn new mechanisms. Well, I learned on an Apple IIE (or IIS, can't remember) and a Commodore 64; then I switched to Mac and X. I have used Windows only since 1993, when required to for work; and in my offwork time have used mainly X. Why do you seem to ignore that the standard for *X* is menus at the top of the window? And why do you seem to ignore that using a pop-up menu is even faster than Mac's menubar? > Not only is > the Mac mechanism viewed as superior by it's users, the Mac interface > (esp the menubar) is widely regarded as superior by both the industry > and UI design community. Even Windows magazines pratically owned by MS > tip the hat to the Mac UI, and it is highly regarded as a better system > for non-professionals. I think there is one thing UI designers tell you, which is more important than this, which you seem to ignore: conform to standards! Nothing confuses users more than to have apps behave completely differently. And the standard in X is menus are at the top of the window. Every single X program I have used in over 12 years has been this way -- with the exception of the 3 or so days I toyed with Mac mode in KDE. And most programs KDE desktop users will use will be this way too (in fact Gimp throws in a different mode altogether, which makes its design less than desirable -- the popup menus are great, but the menubar is very strangely placed and in total violation of Fitts law!). One other standard from X is using pop-up menus. The pop-up menubar approach conforms to this standard *and* is faster than the Mac approach. (Of course this is all IMVHO). Ciao, Andreas