Well I have no sympathy for Mr Cheney but on that matter he is right.
I'm not sure whether your comment should even be dignified with a response, but on the slim chance that you aren't just trolling I'll give it a shot.
No, it isn't just a piece of paper. For one thing, it is the supreme law of the land in the USA, so the suggestion by a sitting official in the executive branch that it can be casually brushed aside is inherently tyrannical.
For another, it is the document that established the modern idea of popular governance. It is an enlightened document that outlines basic, essential human rights and eloquently states them in a way that is clear, straightforward and expresses the intent of the founders without regard to technological advances and temporary political whims.
Let's just say that I don't agree with you, sir, but luckily that piece of paper grants both of us the right to express our differences without fear of political reprisal.
Heh. I moved across the US a few years ago. My bank charged me some stupid fee of like $0.75 after I closed my account, and sent me a letter saying I owed them.
I sent them a check for $1.50, just to show them how ridiculous it is to pay for a stamp to send out $0.75 for no good reason.
Like I said, the 4 hours was hypothetical. It was the amount of time the grandparent had mentioned in his post. If I were doing consulting work (I've been on salary for the last couple of years), I couldn't imagine a circumstance where I wouldn't bill 4 hours over my estimate. If your estimates are so far off that your clients won't pay actuals or you're uncomfortable even billing them then you're obviously inexperienced, and that's part of gaining experience. Sorry if I threw you off there.
My point was that you should be planning to build your application right from the beginning, and saying a client or management didn't ask for it to be right is just making excuses for your own incompetence.
Bingo. If it takes this hypothetical 4 extra hours to make you application secure, you should have quoted 4 extra hours, and if you didn't it's your fault, not your client's.
ya, that's probably the reason why ddraw, dinput, dplay, dsound and dmusic are all deprecated. the reality is that all those apis always have been a poorly documented com mess they couldn't get right after all those iterations
I hope that if were writing APIs that you would deprecate your crappy old code too. It sounds like a sensible policy to me.
It also allows you to pick libraries that have been made by experts in the area the lib focuses on.
Are you implying that Microsoft just throws whomever at the various portions of directx? The networking guy programs directsound, the sound guy programs directinput, the janitor programs direct3d? I don't generally stand up to defend MS, but I'm willing to bet that they have plenty of money and clout to get various experts to program their specs. And I know it's totally anecdotal, but most game developers I know or whose opinions I've read seem to feel that directx is a more intuitive and feature-rich platform.
XP's a perfectly decent product. Same with MS Office.
If Office is a perfectly decent product then please explain to me how to, using only Excel, export a pipe-delimited csv using single-quoted strings in UTF8.
This is not an unusual or unreasonable request for a full-featured spreadsheet app.
Add to that the rise of the netbook, and it's just looking better and better for Windows XP.
There, fixed that for you.
I'm not knocking linux, it's a perfectly fine OS, but it's not even on the radar for most people.
The headline is a red herring. It doesn't *matter* whether more computers are running vista. The simple fact is that vista licenses are being sold. I'll reiterate that because it's important: People are paying money for vista. It does not matter whether they're installing it.
Large corporations have the agility of 10 story buildings, if they have volume license for XP, they'll run XP into the ground. It's not that they're afraid of vista, they're afraid of change. Linux is a *much* bigger change than Vista for them.
It would take a great deal of solid evidence to convince me that there is an objective standard of usability - or an optimal interface for all users and purposes.
Obviously there isn't. That would be ridiculous.
For specific applications and contexts, however, you can objectively determine that interfaces are more or less effective through usability testing. If more of your audience are measurably more productive in and satisfied with one interface, it is better than one in which they are less so.
I also find that most people don't really know what they want. It's usually after a fairly long period of using something, when people start to understand what's specifically wrong with the application. By that time they're used to its idiosyncracies, and it won't help them to make the application easier for beginners.
Have you heard of usability testing?
Believe it or not, there are people who make a living figuring out that kind of thing. Obviously people can disagree about what's best, but you and the parent post seem be saying that usability is a lost cause so there's no reason to even try.
This is a case where the perception is the reality. If the audience for your app has a hard time figuring out how to use your it, it has poor usability, whether you accept it or not.
Slashdot Mirror
Well I have no sympathy for Mr Cheney but on that matter he is right.
I'm not sure whether your comment should even be dignified with a response, but on the slim chance that you aren't just trolling I'll give it a shot.
No, it isn't just a piece of paper. For one thing, it is the supreme law of the land in the USA, so the suggestion by a sitting official in the executive branch that it can be casually brushed aside is inherently tyrannical.
For another, it is the document that established the modern idea of popular governance. It is an enlightened document that outlines basic, essential human rights and eloquently states them in a way that is clear, straightforward and expresses the intent of the founders without regard to technological advances and temporary political whims.
Let's just say that I don't agree with you, sir, but luckily that piece of paper grants both of us the right to express our differences without fear of political reprisal.
The judicial system is your last defense. When they fail to protect your rights, the time for peaceful reckoning is past.
I like the cut of your jib, sir, but actually, the 2nd amendment is your last defense.
It was when I lived there. Well not not "blue" precisely, more "I don't give a shit what you do in private", which is far more relevant.
Heh. I moved across the US a few years ago. My bank charged me some stupid fee of like $0.75 after I closed my account, and sent me a letter saying I owed them.
I sent them a check for $1.50, just to show them how ridiculous it is to pay for a stamp to send out $0.75 for no good reason.
You're exactly right, Mr. Cheney, it is just a fucking piece of paper!
Like I said, the 4 hours was hypothetical. It was the amount of time the grandparent had mentioned in his post. If I were doing consulting work (I've been on salary for the last couple of years), I couldn't imagine a circumstance where I wouldn't bill 4 hours over my estimate. If your estimates are so far off that your clients won't pay actuals or you're uncomfortable even billing them then you're obviously inexperienced, and that's part of gaining experience. Sorry if I threw you off there.
My point was that you should be planning to build your application right from the beginning, and saying a client or management didn't ask for it to be right is just making excuses for your own incompetence.
Bingo. If it takes this hypothetical 4 extra hours to make you application secure, you should have quoted 4 extra hours, and if you didn't it's your fault, not your client's.
ya, that's probably the reason why ddraw, dinput, dplay, dsound and dmusic are all deprecated. the reality is that all those apis always have been a poorly documented com mess they couldn't get right after all those iterations
I hope that if were writing APIs that you would deprecate your crappy old code too. It sounds like a sensible policy to me.
It also allows you to pick libraries that have been made by experts in the area the lib focuses on.
Are you implying that Microsoft just throws whomever at the various portions of directx? The networking guy programs directsound, the sound guy programs directinput, the janitor programs direct3d? I don't generally stand up to defend MS, but I'm willing to bet that they have plenty of money and clout to get various experts to program their specs. And I know it's totally anecdotal, but most game developers I know or whose opinions I've read seem to feel that directx is a more intuitive and feature-rich platform.
His survival and continued career, despite massive head injuries, does however prove that you don't need brains to be a TV celebrity.
And his appearance in any infomercial that will give him a paycheck proves that you don't need dignity or taste either.
it was easily the worst of the original trilogy.
You are, of course, entitled to your own opinion, but I'm pretty sure you're alone on that one.
Episode 3 was the crowning achievement in the Star Wars saga, what with having an actual interesting plot and all.
You must have missed this one.
XP's a perfectly decent product. Same with MS Office.
If Office is a perfectly decent product then please explain to me how to, using only Excel, export a pipe-delimited csv using single-quoted strings in UTF8.
This is not an unusual or unreasonable request for a full-featured spreadsheet app.
That's like saying having a dog that pees on your rug isn't that bad because at least he doesn't eat your children.
My stepmother's dog pees on the rug *and* eats children, you insensitive clod!
(Oddly enough, that statement is essentially true.)
Add to that the rise of the netbook, and it's just looking better and better for Windows XP.
There, fixed that for you.
I'm not knocking linux, it's a perfectly fine OS, but it's not even on the radar for most people.
The headline is a red herring. It doesn't *matter* whether more computers are running vista. The simple fact is that vista licenses are being sold. I'll reiterate that because it's important: People are paying money for vista. It does not matter whether they're installing it.
Large corporations have the agility of 10 story buildings, if they have volume license for XP, they'll run XP into the ground. It's not that they're afraid of vista, they're afraid of change. Linux is a *much* bigger change than Vista for them.
We're not quite up to deflector shield technology yet, but maybe they could try polarizing the hull plating?
"I can has DESTROY ALL HUMANS? LOLZ."
[The slashdot yelling filter has not achieved the level of sentience necessary to comprehend satire.]
Since a moderator decides on objective criteria, slashdot posting is therefore a sport.
Your premise is false.
I objectively determine that I disagree with a poster before I mod them down.
</sarcasm>
That was a quick Godwin.
Guess there's nothing to see in this thread, folks. Move along.
It would take a great deal of solid evidence to convince me that there is an objective standard of usability - or an optimal interface for all users and purposes.
Obviously there isn't. That would be ridiculous.
For specific applications and contexts, however, you can objectively determine that interfaces are more or less effective through usability testing. If more of your audience are measurably more productive in and satisfied with one interface, it is better than one in which they are less so.
Do you expect a baker to give bread to you for free when you criticize his breads for not being tasty enough?
Patches welcome.
You're confusing graphic design and UI design. They're completely separate disciplines.
Most UI designers I've met are not good graphic designers, and most good graphic designers I've met are not good UI designers.
I also find that most people don't really know what they want. It's usually after a fairly long period of using something, when people start to understand what's specifically wrong with the application. By that time they're used to its idiosyncracies, and it won't help them to make the application easier for beginners.
Have you heard of usability testing?
Believe it or not, there are people who make a living figuring out that kind of thing. Obviously people can disagree about what's best, but you and the parent post seem be saying that usability is a lost cause so there's no reason to even try.
This is a case where the perception is the reality. If the audience for your app has a hard time figuring out how to use your it, it has poor usability, whether you accept it or not.
I don't really think it's possible to quantify "usability" ...
Which is one of the reasons we're discussing an article about the poor usability of OSS right now.
You've obviously never worked with a good UI designer. Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean it isn't real.