Subject: Re: [OT] OSX (was Re: MacOS 9.1 to X.1 Upgrade ¿dangerous?. )
cbsled@ncia.net
Date: Sun Dec 02 2001 - 07:29:00 MST
On 12/01/01, at 04:26 AM, "Nathan A. McQuillen" <nm@steaky.dhs.org> said:
>And yes, Tim, I am also not a huge fan of the KDE model, and I agree that it
>is a mistake to consider it an exemplar of quality interface design or
>usability.
I did not say that it was exemplar design, only that it was a good example of the possible level of configurability. Tim seems, like Apple, to think that interface configurability is a bad thing. I strongly disagree with that. I "Think Different" all right, different from them. If they are going to use that as a slogan, then that should be OK. I should be able to configure my interface to the way I like it, but this type of different thinking is taboo under the Apple paradigm.
There are elements of both Gnome and KDE that are way ahead of any commercial GUI. My opinion of the aqua interface is this: Apple squandered a great opportunity to make some real and sorely needed improvements. I was disgusted with the near total lack of configurability. Despite the obviously huge amount of effort spent on the graphic design, there is very little actual functional improvement. There are some cool features, to be sure, and it is pretty, but frankly I couldn't put up with trying to use it on a daily basis because certain aspects of it provide me with constant aggravation, and I cannot change them.
As Tim said; "But if that person just wants to sit down and start using a computer..." Yes, Tim, I agree. It *is* a great new variation on the classic click and drool. I don't know why I expected anything different from the "Think Stupid" interface design team.
The fundamental difference between the aqua interface and KDE et al is that if there is something I don't like in KDE, or a missing feature, then instead of bashing their design philosophy or begging for a fix, I am free to help change the problem or create a new feature. These interfaces, despite their sometimes rough edges, are truly designed by their users. Neither Apple nor Microsoft will ever be able to say that, unless they go open-source.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------- Carl Brown cbsled@ncia.net ----------------------------------------------------------- Apple has proven it is willing to sacrifice usability for the sake of adherence to an aesthetic theme. -John Siracusa http://www.arstechnica.com/reviews/4q00/macosx-pb1/macos-x-beta-13.html
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