Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!gatech!purdue!decwrl!sun!pitstop!sundc!seismo!uunet!garfield!john13
From: john13@garfield.MUN.EDU (John Russell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: replacing the desktop metaphor (Why any metaphor?)
Summary: pulldown menus on the Workbench
Keywords: desktop metaphor, graphical interfaces, computing environments
Message-ID: <5057@garfield.MUN.EDU>
Date: 30 Dec 88 22:55:44 GMT
References: <850@mtfmi.att.com> <673@cogsci.ucsd.EDU> <1489@umbc3.UMD.EDU> <3173@sugar.uu.net>
Organization: CS Dept., Memorial U. of Newfoundland, St. John's
Lines: 24

In article <3173@sugar.uu.net>, peter@sugar.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes:
> Just being a troublemaker...
> What object on the desktop are pull-down menus a metaphor for?

Exactly. Although menus will probably need to be kept just for compatibility
for people who are used to them, WB 1.4 should also include a completely
iconic way to perform both the current and new menu functions. Perhaps a 
DPaint-style menu strip down the side? Across the top? Something that you
can't miss seeing; if you don't understand it, it remains apparent to you,
so eventually you ask someone else what it's for. (This would be an metaphor
for the "string around the figure" so popular in business offices :-).

Besides making the functions more visible and more accessible, this would
allow for use of the help key -- if the mouse is over a special-action
gadget, a WB window pops up containing a clear explanation of the gadget's
function. If over a disk icon the window says "this is a disk icon, here
are some of the things you can do with it" (dragging, opening, etc). With
similar online help for other icon types.

John
-- 
"If you steal all money, kids not be able to BUY TOYS!"
			-- Saturday morning cartoon character explaining
			   why theft is bad