Re: Look and Feel

[M. Uli Kusterer]

At 0:19 Uhr -0600 14.02.2005, Jesse Ross wrote:
> Yeah -- I know about XEROX. I wasn't sure if they had a top menu or 
> not, though, so I didn't want to make that statement.

I think they actually had a bottom-menu, but a lot of refinement went 
into the XEROX-inspired UI before Apple shipped it. See folklore.org 
for Andy Hertzfeld's take on it.

> I don't disagree. I think the left scroll bar is more usable as 
> well. I was simply stating that there are two conflicts: what users 
> are accustomed to, and what is more usable. I also wanted to point 
> out that there is no "best interface" or a certain interface to look 
> to as the model of usability, because in many cases we don't know 
> what the motivations for a certain interface decision was.

Well, there are ways to find out. Folklore.org contains the odd 
nugget of information, and then there are also other sources, and GUI 
designers. Maybe we can get a few of those on board and have them 
fight it out. Matthew Thomas (he's currently working for one of the 
Big Two desktops, don't remember which one) has some very good ideas, 
IMHO.
--
Cheers,
M. Uli Kusterer
------------------------------------------------------------
       "The Witnesses of TeachText are everywhere..."
                   http://www.zathras.de