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From: truesdel@ics.uci.edu (Scott Truesdell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Xerox sues Apple!!!
Message-ID: <2590444E.22947@paris.ics.uci.edu>
Date: 21 Dec 89 02:47:42 GMT
References: <33269@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <10673@encore.Encore.COM> <2676@aecom.yu.edu> <994@biar.UUCP> <1328@key.COM>
Lines: 50

jsp@key.COM (James Preston) writes:

>Be very, very careful of over-generalizations.  

Right on!

>  But take another look at a typical
>Mac paint program.  Tell me that you knew immediately--without reading any
>documention and without any help from other mac users and without having
>seen any usage of any similar program before--that the little tipping can 
>with the stuff pouring out of it was used to fill an area with a pattern.
>Tell me that replacing that cute little picture with the words "fill area" 
>wouldn't be more straightforward.  (This is probably not even the best
>example of "undecipherable icon whose meaning could be better conveyed
>with a couple of words", but it's all I can think of right now.)

Your example was not the best, but I get the point. But, referring to
your example, I NEVER saw ANY manual for MacPaint EVER. If I was ever
confused about the little tipping paint bucket, the confusion lasted a
total of about 3 seconds. And the bucket has the SAME FUNCTION in EVERY
SINGLE PAINT PROGRAM. That is a gain. But the real gain comes when you
get used to using feature-laden programs. While the icon based
interface may or may not be easier to decypher at first try, it is
definitely easier to do a quick visual recognition (one level of
abstraction) rather than the visual recognition, then the language
processing (two levels of abstraction) necessary for text-based
interfaces. And even in text-based systems, facility by advanced users
is almost always by physical memory of where the keys are they are
supposed to type, rather than the actual values of the keys.

>My point is only that, as with anything, icons can be overdone.  Anytime
>you get so focused on ONE way of doing things, you risk overlooking that
>in some cases, another way might be better.

This is absolutely correct. There are many many desirable tools in 
several command line-based OSs that are sorely missed in the Mac OS.
The Mac is poorer for lack of a text-based command input window, batch
processing, aliases, pipes, etc. Presumably, System 7 will address
some of these needs.

Until then, I have to say that from my point of view (I come from an
art background) the Mac, despite its glaring faults, is BY FAR more
satisfying and fun to use. 

  --scott

CLAIMER:  I speak for everybody!  :-O

--
Scott Truesdell