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From: borton@sdcc3.UUCP (Chris Borton)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: Friendly user interface?  What friendly user interface?
Message-ID: <3262@sdcc3.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 28-Apr-86 14:45:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcc3.3262
Posted: Mon Apr 28 14:45:31 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 2-May-86 21:13:45 EDT
References: <921@watdragon.UUCP>
Reply-To: borton@sdcc3.UUCP (Chris Borton)
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Academic Computer Center
Lines: 38

In article <921@watdragon.UUCP> jmsellens@watdragon.UUCP (John M Sellens) writes:
>In article <3237@sdcc3.UUCP> borton@sdcc3.UUCP (Chris Borton) writes:
>>One of the most fun things to share with other Mac people are option-key
>>'tricks' you've discovered or heard about.  Supposedly these are all
>>documented somewhere, but not obviously.  Hence, a few more for those who
>>haven't heard already:
>
>The option and command keys have to be just about the stupidest thing
>on the mac.  No documentation, obscure combinations of keys, no
>consistency.  They go to all the trouble to make an easy to use,
>consistent interface, and then they tack on these obscure magic
>incantations to do the really useful stuff ...
>
I have recently heard that most of the option tricks for Finder 5.x *ARE*
documented in the Mac+ manual.  [courtesy Greg Robbins]  Hooray!  Finally, 
information beyond the tech notes for most people.

On a more general note: option shortcuts are, in my opinion, one of the best
ways to provide a fast method for doing things.  According the the interface
guidelines they should be documented somewhere, though.  My best example of
this is MacPaint: it has some wonderful option-shortcuts that I use ALL the
time.  They are nicely documented under a menu choice of Shortcuts.  

This provides a path for more advanced users to shorten the time/effort to
accomplish certain tasks.  For this reason, I think they are wonderful if
done correctly.  Simply put: option shortcuts should be just that: SHORTCUTS.
If an option whiz-bang has an ability to do something that a normal menu/
pallette choice doesn't, then it shouldn't be there.  Rather, it SHOULD have a 
menu choice.

Beyond all that, I think they provide great information-swapping material!  I
always love discovering 'hidden routes' that the programmer left open...

-Chris
-- 
Chris Borton, UC San Diego Undergraduate CS; Micro Consultant, UCSD
borton@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU || ...!{ucbvax,decvax,noscvax,ihnp4,bang}!sdcsvax!borton
"Was soll ich darauf sagen?"  "Nichts--das ist verboten!"