Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac.misc:10182 comp.windows.ms:10861 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!dave From: dave@jato.jpl.nasa.gov (Dave Hayes) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.windows.ms Subject: Re: give me solid facts: why is the mac better than MeSsy DOS/WINDOWS Message-ID: <1991Mar27.210837.5382@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> Date: 27 Mar 91 21:08:37 GMT References: <1991Mar26.011127.28302@amd.com> <1991Mar26.063111.3133@cs.uoregon.edu> <1991Mar26.165101.10570@cs.uoregon.edu> <1991Mar26.181438.17611@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> <16994@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM> Reply-To: dave@elxr.jpl.nasa.gov Organization: Jet Propulsion Lab - Pasadena, CA Lines: 79 dave@PRC.Unisys.COM (David Lee Matuszek) writes: >In article <1991Mar26.181438.17611@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> dave@elxr.jpl.nasa.gov writes: >>Too much catering to this "unwilling" user, and you make all the "willing" >>users (especially us computer professionals) resistant to the idea of >>catering to the user. A happy medium is what is needed. >> >>THIS IS WHY Mac's are such a "religious" issue. Those who hate them hate >>them and their philosophy because no respect is given the user who is >>willing to learn the machine. >You say that, according to the Macintosh philosopy, "no respect is >given the user who is willing to learn the machine." I think this is >completely bogus. Let's turn it on its head: "Respect IS given to >the user who wants to get things done, but isn't a professional and >doesn't want to become one just to work his computer." THe two aren't the same thing. How about if I word it another way: "Respect could be given to the professional who is willing to sacrifice ease-of-learning for interface throughput speed." >complexity to get it done. A software engineer can meet the user >halfway, providing the necessary functionality and expecting the user >to master the remaining complexity; or the engineer can meet the user >MORE than halfway, providing not only the functionality, but >attempting to absorb as much as possible of the complexity into the >program, so that the user doesn't have to work as hard or learn as >much. However, in absorbing that complexity you more often than not wind up denying flexibility, speed, or even usefulness. There are the interfaces designed to be easy-to-use and then there are those designed to be quick-to-use. Most of the time these are two different camps...and current trendyism tends to favor the easy-to-use. My suggestion is that these two camps be fused...so that an interface is easy to use at first, then as it is mastered it becomes quick to use. So often I see people using EZGUIs work at least 1/2 as fast as those using keyboard interfaces or quicker GUIS (if there IS such a thing). The solution and the better way is to slow everybody down? >Resentment is natural when people are forced to do work they wouldn't >otherwise have to do, or feel is unnecessary. YES! Now you understand why some of us professionals HATE these GUI interfaces! For example...WHY should I have to move my right hand to my mouse to get something done that used to take a keystroke? >I don't believe a "happy medium" is needed or appropriate. We have a >free marketplace; users buy or don't buy your product. If you strike >a compromise and I give buyers what they want, you're out of business. >Those are the facts of life. That they may be for you...I feel everything is negotiable into a happy medium. >Macintosh gives me, my wife, and my four kids what we want in a >computer: ease of learning and ease of use. I think this shows that >the designers respected us and our needs; you seem to feel the >opposite. Exactly correct. I feel the designers have neglected my needs for fast throughput and complex powerful constructed commands from a simple orthogonal command subset. Different strokes for different folks. -- Dave Hayes - dave@elxr.jpl.nasa.gov - ames!elroy!dxh One day, a Fool was in the village mill, filling his bag with a little bit of every other person's wheat. "Why are you doing that?" someone asked. "Because I am a Fool" "Why don't you then fill other people's bags with your own wheat?" "Then," the Fool answered, "I would be more of a fool."