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List:       kde-look
Subject:    Re: Usability and open source
From:       Tyler Regas <tyler () regas ! net>
Date:       2000-01-31 15:00:11
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On Mon, 31 Jan 2000, Tomas Furmonavicius wrote:
> > Also, just because something's hard
> > to implement doesn't mean it's not better.  A GUI is better than a command line
> > for some jobs, but it's arguably harder to implement.

Bravo. Well said.

> Well, it is implemented already :-). Yet another unix desktop project
> UDE has (or had) window manager with circular menus to control window
> functions. But they used icons as menu items, not text, and I'm against
> icons everywhere (I really don't understand the reason to use icons
> beside the text in application menus - text has all the information
> needed, so icons just waste screen space, colormap and resources).
> 
> Circular menus can be very compact, but I can hardly imagine circular
> menu with more then 8 items. On the other hand, such restriction forces
> to keep menus more organized :-).

Icons are, if properly used, a simple way to speed up application use and
comprehension. MS kills this with hudreds of toolbar buttons in all Office
apps. This is not a positive use of icons. First, having so many icons
means that someone has to come up with a reasonable graphical
representation of the action performed. With the size of most icons (16x16)
on toolbars, more than 10 is insane.

Text, OTOH, can also be a mess. Imagine having to use KFM with all text
menus:

File Edit View Go Bookmarks Options
Up Back Forward Home Refresh Copy Paste Help Stop Help
Location: file:/root/blah/more_blah/more_blah_blah/sheep_dip

Fortunately, this is not the case and there are simple, easy to understand
icons instead. Take a look at Communicator's Personal Bookmarks bar and
you'll note that each textual item has a folder icon leading it. This
cleanly breaks up the line and individual bookmarks are distinguishable
from said folders.

-- 
Tyler C Regas
Freelance Author
Freelance Other
ICQ#: 37060555
Mail: tyler@regas.net
HTTP: www.regas.net
=====================
Fascism can play havoc
with your complexion.
Just look at Stalin!

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