Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 21:18:42 -0700 From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> To: <erothwell@callgtn.com>, "David Leimbach" <dleimbac@earthlink.net>, <questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: RE: Intuitive interface - was RE: vi Message-ID: <000001c0f2f6$c3819560$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com> In-Reply-To: <3B24D6D2.6C72125@callgtn.com>
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>-----Original Message----- >From: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG >[mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG]On Behalf Of Erik Rothwell >Sent: Monday, June 11, 2001 7:34 AM >To: David Leimbach; questions@FreeBSD.ORG >Subject: Re: Intuitive interface - was RE: vi > > > >I don't really thinking "intuitive" is a bad word to be using in some >circumstances to describe UI operation. How "intuitive" a program is >depends less on how "common" or "easy" it's interface is and more on how >easily, quickly, efficiently, "realistically" etc. that one can figure >out how to do something with the program. > But, see you have already just put out 4 other words here that even more closely describe this etheral property of a program, why not use them instead of dragging human intuition into it? > >Nevertheless, when you put something into a directory, leave the >directory, and come back -- the file is still there. (Evil h4x0rs or >user error, aside ;)). One step further -- the MacOS 9 Finder is a0 >particularly good example of "spatial computing": when I open a folder, >put a file in it, close the folder, and return -- my document is not >only there, but in the same screen position in which I left it. > >Things of this nature are "intuitive." > I disagree - things of this nature are "obvious" That's a much better adjective. The problem is that it sounds to basic and everyday. People that market and sell new software programs don't want to sound ordinary, they want to perpetuate the "mystique" of the computer (and thus justify getting more money for them I guess) so they search out terms like "intuitive" that _sound_ more mysterious. It's exactly the same reason people name cars "fireball" (would you really want to buy a car that turned into a fireball when you started it up?!?!) and Taurus and Geo and Cougar. (along with some duds like no-go of course) Yes, these are mere labels, just as a label of intuitive is on a program, and supposedly we all have better things to do than pay attention to them. But, when you DON'T pay attention to them is when the brainwashing starts acting. I hope everyone's been forced to read "1984" once, I was chained to a desk when I was a high schooler and had to read it too. It's rediculous and way out of date and totally unrealistic. No government could ever be that efficient and survive. But - corporations aren't government. Instead of reading 1984, a far, far better book is "Space Merchants" by Frederick Pohl. It's the identical concepts of what happens to the world when you let the experts in doublespeak go out of control - but unlike 1984, it's terrifyingly on target. My campaign isn't to wipe "intuitive" away as a label on a program - people can call any program they want anything. But I do hope that by pointing out how this subtle bit of programming works that instead of falling for it next time the salesman says how intuitive the program is, you will just laugh at him. > >So, I don't think the word intuitive as applied to user interfaces is >strictly a misnomer for "easy" or "common" interfaces. You quickly >understand what "intuitive" is when you see some truly unintuitive or >counterintuitve user interfaces :) > Fifteen years ago the corporate motto "Making computing Safer, Simpler, and Faster" was good enough for Central Point Software, without this load of dingo's kidneys of shoving human intuition into the mix. We should all congradulate ourselves on how much more obscure and unintelligible we have managed to make the software industry. Give it a few more years and the marketing brochures for software will be no different than the marketing claptrap used to sell perfume. Oh, rapture! Ted Mittelstaedt tedm@toybox.placo.com Author of: The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide Book website: http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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