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Re: Look and Feel
From: |
Frederico Muñoz |
Subject: |
Re: Look and Feel |
Date: |
Mon, 14 Feb 2005 13:22:25 +0100 |
Hello,
On 2005-02-14 09:49:54 +0000 Michael Thaler
<michael.thaler@physik.tu-muenchen.de> wrote:
[...]
>
> I think it is very important that GNUstep has a UI which offers users from
> MacOS/Windows/KDE/GNOME some familiarity. Designing a radically different UI
> will just stop people from using GNUstep because most people do not bother to
> relearn how to use an UI.
>
>
[...]
> I am absolutely sure that most people will
> not start using GNUstep because it is based on better technologies then the
> rest. If GNUstep wants to attract users, it has to offer a visualy pleasing
> UI which is familiar to the users.
>
> MacOSX is probably one of the best UIs around today. I don't think GNUstep
> should clone the MacOSX UI, but I think something like the theme Jesse
> proposed, but a little bit more MacOSX like (menubar on top, scrollbars on
> the right) would be perfect. Apple had some good reasons why they changed the
> Next UI to a more MacOS Classic like UI. Most of their users were familiar
> with the MacOS Classic UI and it is not a good idea to force people to
> abandon everything they learned and start learning things from scratch. The
> same goes for GNUstep: Most new GNUstep users will probably be former
> KDE/GNOME/Windows users and they don't want to throw all their UI knowledge
> away and do everything differently.
I understand your reasons, but to be quite honest if GNUstep direction is to be
another "me too!" desktop that mimics good and bad decisions from the other
desktops (and GNOME, KDE and Windows are basically the same flavour with a
different colour) just to save the masses from having to deal with something a
bit less usual, then the effort that has been put in creating something not
only tecnically superior but with a string empashis on usability and
distinctiveness (even if that distinctiveness is NeXT like) would have been in
vain.
I would actually say to put the scrollbar on the other side just for the sake
of it, even if there wasn't well based research that indeed shows that it's the
right thing. Why should we stop doing what is right in a UI sense just to
catter for the lowest common denominator? Are users so alienated nowadays that
they will stop using something because the scrollbar is in the left side? Same
with the horizontal menu. Just because Mac Classic used it it becomes the peak
of usability? People are *not* used to an horizontal app menu, only the 5% of
Mac users are.
As for Mac OSX, the reason for not following it closely are even clearer...
Macintosh previous to OSX was, well, Macintoy. To start copying the baggage
that OSX had to carry just to please the users of a Photoshop appliance is
problematic, and even more so because the technology underneath Cocoa and
GNUstep is the same. Copying Apple in their current UI is not - even legally -
a great idea. If Apple doesn't like Aqua like themes, imagine a GNUstep look
alike that allows direct porting of apps. It is my opinion that, even with a
modern look in mind, we do best in taking all that we can from NeXT *feel* than
from Apple's. Not only much more distinctive but actually based on sound
principles and avoids being put in the same bag.
I'm saying this because I'm begining to fear that the idea is to make GNUstep
look like GNOME/KDE/WIndows/MacOSX. I've already seen what not having the guts
to innovate gives to desktops, one ends up using Windows,but with another name,
badly named apps and an anime background.
Between a GNOME/KDE look alike I would prefer to stay eternally with the exact
NeXT looks. For me the real chalenge is to take the NeXT feel and give it a
modern expression. Many NeXT concepts have been abandoned in other desktops
either because of ignorance or because "users won't expect it". This is
something that we should cling to, something that will make the desktop unique,
intuitive and unique.
Oh, and I'm sorry if this sounds harsh or something, it isn't my intention!
Just expressing my own views on the subject :)
Best regards,
fsmunoz
--
Frederico Muñoz
fsmunoz@gesal.org
- Re: Look and Feel, (continued)
- Re: Look and Feel, Gregory John Casamento, 2005/02/16
- Re: Look and Feel, stefan, 2005/02/16
- Message not available
- Re: [Gnustep-ui] Re: Look and Feel, Nicolas Roard, 2005/02/16
- Re: [Gnustep-ui] Re: Look and Feel, Pablo Di Noto, 2005/02/16
- Re: [Gnustep-ui] Re: Look and Feel, Pablo Di Noto, 2005/02/16
- Re: Look and Feel, Banlu Kemiyatorn, 2005/02/16
- Message not available
- Re: Look and Feel, MJ Ray, 2005/02/15
- Re: Look and Feel, Riccardo, 2005/02/18
- Re: Look and Feel, Jesse Ross, 2005/02/18
Look and Feel, Michael Thaler, 2005/02/14
Re: Look and Feel, M. Uli Kusterer, 2005/02/14
Re: Look and Feel, Chris Vetter, 2005/02/14
Re: Look and Feel, Alex Perez, 2005/02/14
Look and Feel, Michael Thaler, 2005/02/14