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List:       kde-look
Subject:    Re: User Interface.. If you ever wrote or will write a software GUI,
From:       "Friedrich W. H. Kossebau" <Friedrich.W.H () Kossebau ! de>
Date:       2001-03-09 10:41:46
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Dave Leigh wrote:
> > 2) If you read what's on the last part of page 4, you'll see that the
> > settings dialog that appears in for example kmail and konqueror are really
> > bad, tabs are much more preferable (please read this yourself, and you'll
> > get the point)
> 
> While I agree with much of what's said, the above proves that you shouldn't
> believe everything you read.  The kmail options are not "really bad," as time
> will prove out.  I will explain, in my roundabout way:

Yes, the reasoning against scrolling list selection is not very
elaborated. But I agree that there could be a little more visual
feedback about the relation of what is shown and how to change this by
the list. Have no idea :(
 
> IMHO, the WORST widget ever invented was that damned multi-lined tabbed
> pageframe that you'll find in products like Microsoft Word.  You know, where
> the lines re-arrange themselves.  There are variations where you have scroll
> buttons to scroll the tabs back and forth, but generally these are as bad,
> since you don't display all the options and the scroll buttons aren't at all
> obvious.  The Interface Hall of Shame devotes a chapter to this very thing:
> http://www.iarchitect.com/tabs.htm

Yes, totally agree!!! The user has no chance to gain a feeling for the
spatial arrangement or relation of the different items, something human
beings rely on to get used to something, I guess strongly. There
everytime one has to learn new... A scrollbar gives a feeling where you
are and how much is left. And you can access items faster (MMB). 'can'
is not 'will' of course, but better than 'cannot'.

> The point is that tabs work, and work well, when there are very few
> categories.  After that, you're better off with the kmail type dialog or a
> treeview widget instead, like the KDE Control Center uses.  The treeview is
> wonderful when you need to categorize options, something you can't do with
> tabs without multiple pageframes (AAUUGGHH!)

Yup!
 
> Please note that often a program is designed with a tabs, and very cleanly,
> too.  Over time the program gains features (as programs do) and more tabs are
> added to handle more options.  What started as a clean design becomes a
> monster, it's hard to change, and any change is significant enough to piss
> off your established users.  The kmail variety of list can be switched to a
> treeview with less pain and without major disturbance of the pages.  This is
> good not just for the interface designers and programmers, but for
> established users who expect things to be where they expect them to be. :)
> When kmail is at a 6.0 release you'll be glad the tabs aren't there.

Hopefully kmail won't become a do-everything-in-one-place monster. But
for the control-everything-in-one-place center (having this option
sometimes pleases me) I am your man.

Friedrich

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