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From: mls@whutt.UUCP (SIEMON)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.windows.misc
Subject: Intuitive? Hah! (was Re: 2 button mouse)
Message-ID: <2940@whutt.UUCP>
Date: 10 Mar 88 18:35:06 GMT
References: <4129@hoptoad.uucp> <283@rhesus.primate.wisc.edu> <1710@ssc-vax.UUCP> <17702@think.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 40
Keywords: window human computer interface

In article <17702@think.UUCP>, barmar@think.COM (Barry Margolin) writes:
> 
>                             ...  I also taught my parents, who are
> completely computer illiterate, how to use the Mac.  In this case, I
> am very glad that it only has one button, as it was hard enough
> teaching them how to use the menus, and double-clicking was a major
> achievement.  ...
> 
> The Mac user interface is designed not to tax the memory of extremely
> unsophisticated users. ...
> 
> Barry Margolin

	But note that they need training.  The sophisticated users need
even MORE training!  The notion that the Mac interface is "intuitive" is
rubbish.  (Yes, it's easy; that's not the same thing!)

	Don't get me wrong (:-)) I LOVE my MACII; and it IS very easy to
do things on it that are hard to do on a PC-clone or on plain vanilla
UNIX (I'm not talking about bit-mapped UNIX ala NeWS or X here).  But I
have always resented the notion that I should be a clone of Steve Jobs;  
one person's intuition is another's long hard struggle with frustration.
(Boy did I sympathize with the guy who confessed his having to be shown
double clicking.  I caught on -- after a lot of agony -- from reading a
manual, but Apple sure makes it hard.  I HATE their condescendingly
stupid tutorials.)  The fanatics of the various computer religions never
seem to realize that people are DIFFERENT and not in an US vs. THEM way.

	One major failing of the visual/mouse interface is that while a
given interactive action is very easy, it is hard or impossible to do
"meta" actions -- things that fit an easy algebraic pattern in some
language for talking about actions (e.g., a UNIX shell).  It is very
encouraging to see recognition from Apple (MPW on one hand and A/UX on
the other) that people and problems differ and require ALL GOOD solutions
to come to the aid of the party ... (oops)

Michael Siemon
contracted to AT&T Bell Laboratories
(disclaimer: these are my opinions)
ihnp4!mhuxu!mls