25 Jul
2005
25 Jul
'05
3:58 p.m.
Randy Kramer wrote:
On Monday 25 July 2005 05:04 am, james(a)dis-dot-dat.net
wrote:
I'd like to respectfully disagree, or at least put forth a different opinion.
I believe that, eventually, the level of computer and domain knowledge (for
various domains) and the simplicity of computer human interfaces should
converge such that a typical person with "non-computer" knowledge of a
specific domain, will be able to operate many computer programs without
reading a manual. In fact, I'd even suggest that as a goal or a criteria to
rate the human interface of programs. (Thus, in this case, a musician with
general computer knowledge and non-computer musical knowledge (or knowledge
of "tape recording").
it's not possible, not in computers, not in other domains. How long
does it take to learn to walk? To talk? To play piano? Can you give me a
better editor than vi?
newbie-friendliness is not the same as user-friendliness and if I use
something day to day I probably have different preferences than somebody
who just started to use it - and that's same for computers and anything
else.
On Mon, 25 Jul, 2005 at 10:46AM +0200, Mario Lang
spake thus:
>That is the point, I absolutely dont feel reading up on something
>is necessarily a bad thing. My hair stand up if I watch
>a typical no-clue windows user more or less randomly hitting
>buttons in the interface until "something" works.
I do feel
this
"it has to work out of the box without me having to know anything about
it" attitude is childish.
Seconded. Or, in a slightly different example, if a computer
user understands how to use
one (mainstream) word processor, he should be able to quickly understand and
use at least the main features of other mainstream word processors (if there
are more than one). (And further, a goal or criteria of a word processor
human interface would include how many of the more subtle features of a
different word processor a newbie user can pick up without the manual.)
yeah, sit a newbie in front of vi:-) Yet there's a LOT of people who
wouldn't use other editor...
repeat: user friendliness and newbie friendliness are not the same.
erik