I'd rather Apple/Englightenment/KDE[/Gnome] spent their energy in developing a more usable *interface* than a prettier one.
Why don't you save your final judgements for when OSX is actually released to the public. Until then, NOBODY, except Steve Jobs and the developers at Apple, REALLY know how *usable* the interface is. Unlike many others, I prefer to wait and judge after I've actually used it.
It seems to me that a lot of slashdotters see usability and attractiveness as mutually exclusive. They're not!
Spoken with the true inflammatory ire of an AC. I am not pro-MS by any means. I pointed out that Windows deployed the idea of a fixed dock before NeXT, and it did. By your standard, Apple deserves no credit for the popularity of the GUI, because it was all invented by xerox.
Please refer to my previous comments regarding Xerox PARC. APPLE made it popular, XEROX invented the concept. PARC did not ship products, so no one in the public domain would have know of their interface ideas. Apple deserves all the credit for popularizing GUIs.
Aside from other comments from fellow slashdotters, I would also mention that PARC was into research. They were more of a "think tank" that came up with ideas, but never intedended on making a commercial product out of them. Not only that, If you've seen the PARC Alto's interface it's nothing like the first Lisa/Mac interface.
Also, Many of the Xerox PARCers left Xerox and where hired by Apple for the Mac & Lisa projects. Basically, because they wanted to involved with something that would actually be shipped. Some good places to look for more information:
MacKiDo article about Xerox PARC & Apple http://www.mackido.com/Interface/ui_history.html
31 chars sucks. I really hope they increase it to 255
I agree, 31 chars is limiting sometimes, but a filename should be short anyway. Think of it as the title on a book. The users shouldn't need to read the equivilent of a one-line paragraph to know what the hell the file is supposed to be. In short, I think 255 characters can be TOO MUCH for people who don't name files properly.
Also, Macs can't have the colon (:) in a filename.
That's because the mac's directory system (HFS or HFS+) uses the colon to specify directories. In other words instead of using a backslash (\), like Windoze9X, to seperate directories, the colon (:) is used.
ie. Macintosh HD:System Folder:Control Panels
Keep in mind this convention came about waybefore the internet became mainstream.
Easy, right-click cut and paste, it takes one hand on the mouse. How can you use one hand to copy when Mac OS "wants" to move a file?
I don't know about you, but I tend to move files around more than I copy them. It would make more sense to use a modifier to copy rather than to move. I find that copy takes precedense (sp) over move very annoying when I use Windows.
Mac users need to realize it's not just "Mac good, Windows bad.
I agree...I just haven't found a case where Window's isn't bad yet:)
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Why don't you save your final judgements for when OSX is actually released to the public. Until then, NOBODY, except Steve Jobs and the developers at Apple, REALLY know how *usable* the interface is. Unlike many others, I prefer to wait and judge after I've actually used it.
It seems to me that a lot of slashdotters see usability and attractiveness as mutually exclusive. They're not!
Please refer to my previous comments regarding Xerox PARC. APPLE made it popular, XEROX invented the concept. PARC did not ship products, so no one in the public domain would have know of their interface ideas. Apple deserves all the credit for popularizing GUIs.
Also, Many of the Xerox PARCers left Xerox and where hired by Apple for the Mac & Lisa projects. Basically, because they wanted to involved with something that would actually be shipped.
Some good places to look for more information:
MacKiDo article about Xerox PARC & Apple
http://www.mackido.com/Interface/ui_history.html
MacKiDo's interface section
http://www.mackido.com/Interface/
I agree, 31 chars is limiting sometimes, but a filename should be short anyway. Think of it as the title on a book. The users shouldn't need to read the equivilent of a one-line paragraph to know what the hell the file is supposed to be. In short, I think 255 characters can be TOO MUCH for people who don't name files properly.
Also, Macs can't have the colon (:) in a filename.
That's because the mac's directory system (HFS or HFS+) uses the colon to specify directories. In other words instead of using a backslash (\), like Windoze9X, to seperate directories, the colon (:) is used.
ie. Macintosh HD:System Folder:Control Panels
Keep in mind this convention came about waybefore the internet became mainstream.
I don't know about you, but I tend to move files around more than I copy them. It would make more sense to use a modifier to copy rather than to move. I find that copy takes precedense (sp) over move very annoying when I use Windows.
Mac users need to realize it's not just "Mac good, Windows bad.
I agree...I just haven't found a case where Window's isn't bad yet :)