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From: brucec@tekecs.UUCP (Bruce Cohen)
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: User-Friendly Re-Defined Access-Efficient
Message-ID: <2026@tekecs.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 5-Sep-83 19:29:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekecs.2026
Posted: Mon Sep  5 19:29:57 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 6-Sep-83 04:45:38 EDT
References: ittvax.989
Lines: 20

Well, I agree with Alan Watt that "Friendly" as applied to computers is
a horrible abuse of the English language, but I have to say that the
meaning of the  word has already been severely maimed, if not totally
destroyed by other abuses.  Consider the terms "friendly fire" and
"friendly government."  The meaning of "friend" here is someone who
doesn't *plan* to harm you just now.

I suggest that we use somewhat more neutral terms for our interfaces,
like "mistake-tolerant," or "user-guiding."  Of course, these terms
don't have the marketing appeal that a good buzz-word should have,
but a good marketing man can make a buzz-word out of anything.  At my
last job, there was a great deal of talk about a "seamless interface."
I never did get a good operational definition from anyone there,
except that they thought that the Apple Lisa had one, so they should.
Yet every management summary of the project used the term.
				
				Bruce Cohen
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