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From: norman@d.cs.okstate.edu (Graham Norman Perc)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Microsoft Products (Was: Re: New MS Windows (?))
Message-ID: <1990Jun1.023841.23466@d.cs.okstate.edu>
Date: 1 Jun 90 02:38:41 GMT
References: <9541@tank.uchicago.edu>
Organization: Oklahoma State University
Lines: 34

From article <9541@tank.uchicago.edu>, by gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu:
> In article <15006@dime.cs.umass.edu>, roskill@cs.umass.edu writes...
> [...]
>> 
>>I know a lot of mac companies are very interested in porting to Windows
>>3.0 because of the tremendous installed base.  I understand that Microsoft
>>already has Word (almost identical to the mac) up and running.
> 
> Microsoft.  Microsoft.  Hmmm, where have I heard that name before?
> 
> Seriously, not the best example of a Mac company going over to Windows. 

Yea. Word/Mac seems to already be feeling the effects of Windows. Have 
you ever wondered where Microsoft got the funky Pop-Up menus you see in
Word? Take a look at Windows. Honestly, I wish Microsoft would tow the 
Mac interface line when designing Mac applications; I don't care what
their Windows apps look like.

Now for a related question: Does Microsoft employ human factors engineers?
I'm not flaming--just curious. We all know that Apple spends a _lot_ of 
money on controlled experiments to test various human interface (HI) ideas
with real users of various degrees of experience; so when their HI guide-
lines specify a behaviour for a particular HI element, I'm inclined to
take note. However, with Microsoft I get the impression that much of 
their HI is specified by programmers/software engineers who have no human
factors experience. This kind of situation can result in feature-laden
products that are awkward and inconsistent (for example, Word on the Mac).

Would anyone in the know care to comment on Microsoft product design?
-- 
Norman Graham                            Oklahoma State University
  Internet:  norman@a.cs.okstate.edu     Computing and Information Sciences
  BangPath:                              219 Mathematical Sciences Building
     {cbosgd,rutgers}!okstate!norman     Stillwater, OK  USA  74078-0599