Date: Fri, 12 Apr 1996 15:48:21 -0700 (MST) From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> To: rkw@dataplex.net (Richard Wackerbarth) Cc: hackers@freefall.freebsd.org, terry@lambert.org Subject: Re: Re(2): Lesstif (motif compatible) package. Message-ID: <199604122248.PAA02723@phaeton.artisoft.com> In-Reply-To: <n1382826236.36416@Richard Wackerbarth> from "Richard Wackerbarth" at Apr 12, 96 08:04:00 am
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> > The problem is that new widgets are a bad idea, in general. "Compatible > > with extensions" is a bad thing, and all you really succeed in doing is > > violating style guidelines. > > > Wrongo. I'm going to say that using custom frobs is bad, and that if you > need a triangular button, your user interface design is bad. > > This assumes that the original "style guidelines" were perfect and that > additional design innovation is bad. Innovation isn't bad. Most of the stuff the programmers who are doing think of as "innovation" isn't. Consider that these people are software engineers, not ergonomics engineers. Just because you are a better programmer than most technical writers doesn't make you a better technical writer than most technical writers. It's the same thing with interface design. In theory, the "style guidelines" are as near perfect as people who are supposed to know about human machine interfaces can make them. It's not totally impossible for Joe programmer to come up with a new widget that solves an unsolved problem that is a real problem that was overlooked by people who spend their professional careers not overlooking such things. And its further possible that the programmer will implement his new widget in accordance with the underlying principles that resulted in the style guide. But it's not very likely. > I guess we should all go back to driving Model "T"'s and program in assembly > language. Yeah, that was the point I was trying to drive home. That's the ticket. Yeah. Yeah. That's the ticket. 8-). Terry Lambert terry@lambert.org --- Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present or previous employers.
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