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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!csu-cs!silver
From: silver@csu-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: Menus, forms, commands etc.
Message-ID: <2415@csu-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 18-Sep-83 18:21:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: csu-cs.2415
Posted: Sun Sep 18 18:21:31 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 19-Sep-83 01:54:24 EDT
References: ulysses.611
Lines: 21


It occurs to me that my  keyboard is a simple,  static  "menu".  Since I
know this menu very well (it doesn't  change much), I can quickly  punch
my way through a series of "levels" to get where I want to go, almost as
fast as I can type  (:-).  There is the  slight  nuisance  of  having to
"confirm"  with the RETURN  key, and I could make a "wrong  turn" at the
first level but not know it until I hit RETURN.  You get the analogy.

With that in mind, I offer  this  observation...  Menu  systems  will be
acceptable  interfaces for even the richest  command sets, when they are
as easy to  remember  and as fast to  access  as the  keyboard  used for
command input.

I have  in  mind  as an  example  the  HP-internal,  menu-driven  system
software debugger for the HP9000.  Every command is a single letter, the
interaction  is snappy, and common  sequences  are  memorized as a side-
effect of normal  use.  Of course, the number of inherent  capabilities,
while numerous, does not approach that of UN*X.

Alan Silverstein, Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Systems Division, Colorado
ucbvax!hplabs!hpfcla!ajs, 303-226-3800 x3053, N 40 31'31" W 105 00'43"