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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!sdcsvax!brian
From: brian@sdcsvax.UUCP (Brian Kantor)
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: User-Friendly
Message-ID: <3746@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 5-Sep-83 06:06:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.3746
Posted: Mon Sep  5 06:06:31 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 5-Sep-83 22:48:46 EDT
References: <1320@tekgds.UUCP>
Organization: U.C. San Diego, CS Dept
Lines: 19

I second the suggestion of "non-antagonistic" instead of
"user-friendly".  Perhaps if we do, software designers will be reminded
that moderation is a virtue in helpfullness as well.  

I've recently experienced a set of programs that were
being developed for a micro business system that could best be
characterised as "user-affectionate" and sometimes verged on
"user-intimate".  And there was no way to reduce the level of
"helpfulness".  Argghhh!

Perhaps its because I'm from the old school (yes, punch cards, plugboards, 
and paper tape), but I find it DISTRACTING when an error message tells me
something like "My dear Brian, you should not have typed a space at the
end of the part number" or some such twaddle.


-- 
   Brian Kantor, UCSD.  {philabs,ucbvax} !sdcsvax!brian
		        		  sdcsvax!brian@nosc