Re: Look and Feel

[Frederico Muñoz]

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