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From: avjewe@cvl.umd.edu (Andrew V Jewell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Poor Mac Design Philosophy
Message-ID: <2515@cvl.umd.edu>
Date: Wed, 14-Oct-87 09:17:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: cvl.2515
Posted: Wed Oct 14 09:17:18 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 16-Oct-87 00:44:36 EDT
References: <2514@cvl.umd.edu> <2991@husc6.UUCP>
Reply-To: avjewe@cvl.UUCP (Andrew V Jewell)
Organization: Center for Automation Research, Univ. of Md.
Lines: 46

In article <2991@husc6.UUCP> singer@endor.UUCP (Richard Siegel) writes:
>In article <2514@cvl.umd.edu> avjewe@cvl.UUCP (Andrew V Jewell) writes:
>>
>>The finder has a SPECIAL menu right?
>>So, why doesn't it include items like
>>   REBUILD DESKTOP
>>and
>>   RESET PARAMETER RAM
and the many other functions currently accessed in non-intuitive ways.
>
>	Because special system-level functions like that are functions
>that are only needed in specific conditions, i.e. when the Desktop file
>gets trashed or when the Parameter RAM gets corrupted 

Empty folppies with 15K in them need the desktop rebuilt to recover 8K
Sometimes (esp. on a hard disk) the Finder fails to import a file's icon, or 
doesn't add an application to the list (for double-clicking a document)
Rebuilding the DeskTop fixes this too.


>	I realize that for a Mac Hacker these functions are handy, but for
>a novice user they would be only confusing and somewhat threatening.

I thought the point of menus was to include just about everything that the
application can do, so that a novice user can see whats available without
acting on it.


      
>>easier to document
>	Easier to document than WHAT?
There is always a section for a description of each menu item, the author
knows where to put it and the user knows where to look.
Arcane key-combinations are often hidden within descriptions of other things.



>>and N times more mac-like
>	Again, more Mac-Like than what?
A simple interface, where all operations can be accessed in a consistent
fashion (eg menus).


>>   Andy Jewell
>	--Ric qn whabelievblemsthis aB