Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!bsu-cs!mithomas From: mithomas@bsu-cs.bsu.edu (Michael Thomas Niehaus) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard Subject: Re: HyperCard Improvements Message-ID: <6603@bsu-cs.bsu.edu> Date: 7 Apr 89 04:58:57 GMT References: <42120@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> <28516@apple.Apple.COM> <42156@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> Organization: CS Dept, Ball St U, Muncie, IN, USA Lines: 53 In article <42156@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>, marvel@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Howard P. Marvel) writes: > Ah yes, but this calculator will be used by a roomful of > undergraduates, many of whom have not so much as SEEN a Macintosh > before. During my last quarter training session with such a group, a > number of them insisted on running the mouse off the edge of their > work tables, while others complained that the mouse would not work > when moved while suspended several feet above the tables. And I am to > offer them a message box? In fact, I trap for the menubar and message > box, set the cantmodify, provide a custom home stack and a fully > bundled setup with elaborate attempts to keep them from having to deal > with file dialogs and the like. They place diskettes in the SE, start > the machine, and the application begins without their initially > needing to do anything except find the power switch. If they need to > print on a network, they get a list of available printers via a > hypercard field -- no chooser... What a shame. It seems like a crime to hide the Macintosh interface from the user. It's ease of use is one of its strong point. I think that the effort would be better spent teaching the students how to make the most of the Finder and the rest of the "real Mac". > By the way, even though these students by and large haven't seen a Mac > before, most of them are hooked by the end of an hour. In fact, for > most, they are hooked as soon as the computer addresses them by name. As of about a year ago, I had never seen a Mac before. Within two months, I was using PageMaker, Microsoft Word, SuperPaint, HyperCard, etc. Within a year, I accepted a job with Apple as their student representative on campus because of my knowledge. Yes, it is easy to get hooked on the Macintosh. But it is that fact that makes the machine so easy to learn. Most students don't need to be held by the hand. They are in school (supposedly) because they have intelligence. Of course, some things may need to be explained to them (like how a mouse works). This reminds me of the data processing classes here at Ball State. Of course, they use IBM PCs and "teach" the students how to use Lotus 1-2-3, dBase III+, and Word Perfect. But to do this, they give them a sheet of keystroke by keystroke instructions to follow. Just to prove a point, I sat down at a machine with a set of these instructions, turned off the monitor, and still completed the assignment without a hitch (of course, I am a pretty good typist). -Michael Of course, these are my views and my views only. To Apple, I am only a number. To Ball State, I am just a source of income. -- Michael Niehaus UUCP: !{iuvax,pur-ee}!bsu-cs!mithomas Apple Student Rep ARPA: mithomas@bsu-cs.bsu.edu Ball State University AppleLink: ST0374 (from UUCP: st0374@applelink.apple.com)