Re: Mac OS X 10.1 File Name Extension Guidelines
Re: Mac OS X 10.1 File Name Extension Guidelines
- Subject: Re: Mac OS X 10.1 File Name Extension Guidelines
- From: Lloyd Sargent <email@hidden>
- Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2001 13:18:58 -0500
On Sunday, September 9, 2001, at 03:43 AM, Eugene Lee wrote:
On Sat, Sep 08, 2001 at 05:25:37PM -0400, Brendan Younger wrote:
:
: I must say that I am rather surprised at the lack of interest (or
should
: I say justifiable rage) on a rather important feature of
user-interface
: design. It is this lack of interest that is allowing Apple to do
*very*
: foolish things in the name of compatibility. (No pun intended.) To
: begin with, I strongly suggest that all who haven't (including any
Apple
: Higher-ups) read:
: http://arstechnica.com/reviews/01q3/metadata/metadata-1.html.
I told the author and other folks on Apple's human interface list that
metadata is cute. But if it's not portable, it doesn't exist.
I think the issue is more of legacy systems vs. new/improved systems.
99.9% of all my user design decisions are based on "What would my wife
do?" (or WWMWD). This sounds flippant, but you have to understand that
she is not a tech-head. She could care less if the file had ".pdf" on
the end or ".portabledocumentformat" (although the latter she would, no
doubt, complain it took up too much screen space). She just want's the
document to open when she needs it. Metadata smedata, if it don't work
like she expects it is crap.
You would be surprised at the amount of crap out there. <grin>
So if she gets a document labeled .html or .mp3 she doesn't want to
figure out what it is supposed to go to, she wants it to just work. This
is what I call USER in the UI. And I think this is what Apple is
attempting to do. I DON'T think they are trying to say "hey, we're
putting a lock on file extensions and tough nuggies if you don't like
it". They are trying to make file sharing EASIER.
The question I have to ask is, do we in fact lose functionality? If the
answer is no, then I have to argue that there is a lot being made that
all signifies nothing. If in fact we DO lose functionality, then I have
grave concerns.
When I move her over to OS X if she starts complaining that things
"don't work like I expect them to work", then Apple will have made a
grave error.
Cheers,
Lloyd
-----
Canna Software Development
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