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From: jtn@potomac.ads.com (John T. Nelson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Gripes about System 7.0
Message-ID: <1991Feb1.201045.10039@potomac.ads.com>
Date: 1 Feb 91 20:10:45 GMT
References: <5659@idunno.Princeton.EDU> <11848@goofy.Apple.COM> <5691@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Organization: Advanced Decision Systems, Arlington, VA
Lines: 45

>My point is that the Finder has all the important information (that
>the file is a MacWrite file, and Word can read MacWrite files), but it
>doesn't bother to look to see that Word can be used.  Doing something
>behind the user's back?  If he double-clicked on the file, he most
>likely wanted to open it, and when the file brings up an error dialog
>rather that being opened, the user thinks there's something funky
>happening -- that's not the *intuitive* response.  At the very least,
>have it bring up an SFGetFile dialog: "An application for this
>document could not be found.  Choose another application to open it
>with."  ... and, optionally, remember this selection for later.
>
>As for the hooks: Why make it so that only hackers can tinker with the
>resources to change the default applications?  Remember when you used
>to have to fiddle with the LAYO resource to make your desktop
>prettier, and see how Apple now made that into a cdev? etc etc etc
>etc...

As a programmer and fairly sohpsticated Mac User, these are minor
annoyances that I've learned to put up with.  But what about the
naive' beginning Mac user?  There's no excuse for forcing a beginner
to edit resources or to pull down the "Open" menu everytime they want
to edit a file, because the application doesn't respond to "Open"
puppet strings.  The "completely intuitive interface for the rest of
us" comes off as a pile of rubish when this is true.

A lot of it isn't Apple's fault.  Many applications are not written
according to the interface guidelines and thus don't take advantage of
the totally intuitive facilities.  On the other hand, Apple certainly
didn't make the Mac particularly easy for the application developers
to use these facilities.

There's grief to pay on both sides, but one thing I do know and that
is that as a user I shouldn't have to fiddle with resources or worry
about bundle bits or documents not having the correct type/creators or
remembering to pull down "Open" instead of just double-clicking on a
document to open it.

No excuse whatsoever.


-- 

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ORGANIZATION:  Advanced Decision Systems   GEOGRAPHIC: Arlington, VA
UUCP:          kzin!speaker@mimsy.umd.edu  INTERNET:   jtn@potomac.ads.com