Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!spool.mu.edu!uunet!brunix!omh
From: omh@cs.brown.edu (Owen M. Hartnett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Need an LDEF that breaks the 32K barrier
Message-ID: <74860@brunix.UUCP>
Date: 8 May 91 02:47:45 GMT
Article-I.D.: brunix.74860
References: <1CE00001.edjyz6@tbomb.ice.com> <42087@cup.portal.com>
Sender: news@brunix.UUCP
Reply-To: omh@cs.brown.edu (Owen M. Hartnett)
Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
Lines: 39

In article <42087@cup.portal.com> Invader@cup.portal.com (Michael K Donegan) writes:
>Does anyone ever think of the user?  What kind of a silly user interface
>do you present if you put more than a very small number of items in a
>listbox.  A list that must be scrolled is ridiculous unless 1) you don't
>need to use it very often 2) you are intimately familiar with its
>contents so that you can use keystrokes to get you in the vicinity of
>your search.
>
>I am particularly sensitive to this because if have been working on a
>program with over 200 source files.  I have gotten really sick of using
>the Open Dialog to find the one I'm looking for and use the Finder
>instead.  
>
>Anyway, find a better user interface rather than burden the list manager.
>Just because it is easy to program doesn't mean you should use it for 
>everything.
>
>	One man's opinion,
>		mkd

Well, consider the following application:  A real estate database accesses
information via a map and lot number and the owner's name.  There are
thousands of records in this database.  Sometimes the map and lot numbers
are non-uniform (i.e. lot 1, lot 1.1, lot 2, lot 3, etc).  Either you
display a range of lot numbers as in the list manager or you require the
user to remember the lot number and type it in.  Unless you have a better
idea?

BTW, the list manager will handle the "burden" quite nicely (I've done it
with over 20,000 records)  Scrolling isn't that great but when you're
dealing with that many records you can use other methods to get near the
record you want and then scroll to "fine tune" till you find your record.

-Owen

Owen Hartnett				omh@cs.brown.edu
"FAITH, n. Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks
		without knowledge, of things without parallel."
			-Ambrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary