Tracking files the right way -- NeXT apps are less intuitive with worse HI?
Tracking files the right way -- NeXT apps are less intuitive with worse HI?
- Subject: Tracking files the right way -- NeXT apps are less intuitive with worse HI?
- From: James DiPalma <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 31 Aug 2002 15:24:25 -0700
Well said. I respect everything you say here and will comment on a few
things.
From: Andreas Monitzer <email@hidden>
in Mac OS 9. You could tell how a window reacts by looking at its frame.
Both OSes have visually differentiated window behavior and that is a
good thing; no question. I just think NeXT's use of one window style
made these windows look more clean. As an analogy: I can _visually_
differentiate or __VISUALLY__ differentiate something.
As users we all appreciate visual feedback and elegance; Jaguar's new
drag cursor is great. As a developer, I constantly fiddle with widget
behavior and UI design trying to find that balance between displaying
information and not getting in a user's way. These kinds of discussions
are almost non-existent on cocoa-dev, but I think they are vital to
writing good applications.
Since Mac OS is single-user, there's no reason to do that.
A home directory has tangible value as a place to store more than just
documents, and Mac OS X adds simple conventions for storing documents,
preferences, images, etc. To some, Mac OS X conflicts with their right
to name any file anything and put it anywhere; I think OS X simply
encourages novice users to have some simple organization. Too many
friends have lost information because they saved files within an
application's directory (typical on single-user Windows) or lost
application settings when getting a new machine.
As developers, our users all benefit by having conventions for where
applications, documents, preferences, and data are stored. I encourage
all of us to follow these conventions and to encourage Apple to continue
development of these kinds of conventions. Their value extends to both
multi-user and single-user environments.
Well, they implemented it [dynamic, proportional thumb scrollbars] in
version 8.0, which is pretty outdated now (my oldest Mac here came
bundled with 8.1).
On OS 9, Illustrator 10, Photoshop 5, and Netscape 4.75 all have dynamic
scrollbars, but do not have proportional thumbs. But, Finder does have
proportional thumb scrollbars; Apple has often added HI to Finder that
is not present in other applications (e.g. tab windows, apple-click
titlebar menu).
agreed; Mac OS implemented proxy icons for this info, but only a few
apps supported it (BBEdit for example).
Each app had to solve it [Find Pasteboard] on its own in Mac OS.
Mike Shields <email@hidden> 's original argument was that Mac OS
apps where more intuitive with better HI than NeXT OS apps; I have been
arguing all along that Cocoa provides a unifying consistency to
application in NeXT OSes and in OS X. This consistency made applications
on NeXT OSes clean and clear while providing a framework to add simple
functionality to all applications.
Mac OS applications have many benefits, but HI consistency from app to
app is not their strength.
-jim
_______________________________________________
cocoa-dev mailing list | email@hidden
Help/Unsubscribe/Archives:
http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/cocoa-dev
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.