Re: SEUL: More GUI Musings

[billt@tor.securecomputing.com (Bill Thanis)]

> 
> 
> While this comment is not particularly SEUL-related, some of us 
> actually <bigger><bigger><italic>like</bigger></bigger></italic> 
 Don't do this, use capitals for emphasis, it ruins the effect for
those of us who use regualr text browsers.

> buttons with text labels! At least, give us the option. I find there 
> are too many, and too many different, icons in the world, including all 
> those contained within applications. I do not find most of them 
> intuitive at all.

I must agree here. Text is good, pictures can be confusing.

One thing that Microsoft does, is have a feature that if you leave the
mouse over an icon, a text box comes up telling you what it does.
I like the feature.

<snipped portion>
> 
> It seems to me that there are two reasons why some programmers prefer 
> to use pictures instead of labels. One, pictures can easily be a 
> standard size, which simplifies screen design. Two, pictures don't need 
> alternative versions for different languages. These are legitimate 
> advantages but, IMHO, are not sufficient to always prefer pictures. 
Reason one I can accept, Reason two is wrong. Pictures mean different
things in different languages. Example what does a picture of a key
mean to you?

> Anyway, I don't think the implication that users who prefer text are 
> not "terribly sophisicated" does anything to improve the attitude of 
> potential users.
> 
When I started in computers GUI and pictures were for the unsophisticated
users. Real users did everything at the prompt, or in vi.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simple End User Linux Mailing list
To be removed from this mailing list send a message to majordomo@txcc.net
with the line
unsubscribe seul-project
in the body of the letter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------