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From: tomwest@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Tom West)
Date: Fri, 11-Mar-88 12:48:52 EST
Message-ID: <1988Mar11.124852.18349@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Organization: University of Toronto Computing Services
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.windows.misc
Subject: Re: A/UX window systems, Mac tool...( Hum Interface)
References: <4129@hoptoad.uucp> <283@rhesus.primate.wisc.edu> <1710@ssc-vax.UUCP> <7523@apple.Apple.Com> <1719@ssc-vax.UUCP> <241@eos.UUCP> <884@daisy.UUCP> <3172@phri.UUCP> <4033@vdsvax.steinmetz.ge.com>
Reply-To: tomwest@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Tom West)
Keywords: Protecting yourself against developers.


  I am afraid that the advocates of multiple button mice have made a beautiful
theoretical case without looking at the reality of micro software.  Having used
Macs, Amigas and STs (although mostly Macs), I have found that in most software
there is an *incredible* abuse of the general use rules for mice.  The second
button gets used in all sorts of incredibly bizarre (and completely 
un-intuitive) ways.  I have complained to the owners of the respective machines
and met with loud protests of the fact that it is only this piece of software 
and that the principal still holds true.  Unfortunately, the principal doesn't
make for ease of use, especially when the software designers are not looking
at principals, but at profit.  Claims that violating the interface will hurt
sales seems unlikely, at least in an environment where such violations are
common, as seems to be the case in the multiple button micro environment.

  We only have to see how hard software designers work to violate the Mac
interface when the rules are written in stone for all to see, to realize that
given a degree of freedom beyond what is necessary, it will be abused to provide
inconsistent and confusing interfaces between programs.  Each designer builds
their program customized to maximize the throughput and keep *their*
program consistent.  But unless they have the thought police running all over
them, *and unless they have the hardware limited*, they will customize
their own software until inter-program consistency is a pipe-dream.

  This may be different in the Sun market, but I assure people that in the 
micro market, this definitely seems to be the way of things.

-- 
				Tom West

BITNET:         tomwest@utorgpu.bitnet, tomwest@gpu.utcs.utoronto
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