Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 13:13:29 -0600 From: Sean Kelly <kelly@fsl.noaa.gov> To: jfieber@indiana.edu Cc: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD keyboard Message-ID: <199607151913.TAA22363@gatekeeper.fsl.noaa.gov> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.94.960715124555.5534F-100000@Fieber-John.campusview.indiana.edu> (message from John Fieber on Mon, 15 Jul 1996 12:55:58 -0500 (EST))
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>>>>> "John" == John Fieber <jfieber@indiana.edu> writes:
John> Depends on where you drive. Shall I send out some photos of
John> real road signs? :-)
I guess the signs are fake where I am ... :-) Obviously the work of
college pranksters: sneaking out in the middle of the night and
improving things.
John> Around here there are a couple places that have uniform rows
John> of 6-8 rectangular white signs with black two digit highway
John> numbers and arrows.
Where the heck is this? I see `indiana' in your email/web address ...
John> Hmm... I wouldn't associate Tufte with such a wholesale
John> disposal of a visual communication tool. Then again, I've
John> only read one of his books and it had almost nothing about
John> computer interfaces.
I recommend _Envisioning Information_ by Tufte (Graphics Press 1990,
ISBN 0-9613921-1-8). Loaded with good stuff, and does include some
stuff on user interfaces. I reread it often for inspiration as much
as information.
Here's the relevant passage from _Envisioning_:
Shown above are convential graphical interfaces, with scroll
bars, multiple windows, and computer administrative debris.
... Noise is costly, since computer displays are
low-resolution devices, working at extremely thin data
densities, 1/10 to 1/1000 of a map or book page. This
reflects the essential dilemma of a computer display: at every
screen are two powerful information-processing capabilities,
human and computer. Yet all communication between the two
must pass through the low-resolution, narrow-band video
display terminal, which chokes off fast, precise, and complex
communication.
I recently got to attend a special one-day course by Tufte where he
reiterated and expanded on his principles with regard to icons and
windows and what-not. He didn't have very nice things to say about
the Web either. ;-)
--
Sean Kelly
NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory kelly@fsl.noaa.gov
Boulder Colorado USA http://www-sdd.fsl.noaa.gov/~kelly/
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