I interviewed as a UI designer for IBM never thinking I'd actually get the job.
I was 23 years old with an Information Science degree and ~18 months experience doing all manner of tech jobs jobs.
When I was offered the job I asked my new manager why they were giving it to me. The answer was basically age and relative lack of experience. My manager hoped that I would bring new ideas to the lab as well as more likely to "be moulded into the IBM way" of doing things.
I bet the fact that they could pay me 15-20K less helped too!
but the classic test for preemtive multitasking is to watch the performance of the machine while formatting a floppy...If the system slows down to a grind, then the OS is using primitive, co-operative multitasking
What with all new Apple Boxen lacking a floppy drive, there's going to be a big hole in Apple's Quality Assurance Testing.
Sure, their developers think they're writing code that implements and uses pre-emptive multitasking, but without the ability to conduct the Classic Test, they'll never be able to tell!
Steve Jobs is gonna be pretty pissed when this gets out.
A bad time to be carrying a bag marked "SWAG" would be when you're caught rifling through someone's jewelery box.
Similarly, it's not good form to be found carrying a knife used in a stabbing. And the real no-no is to be found with a smoking gun in your hand and a until-recently-alive person splayed on the floor, their brain decorating the wall.
Re:Apple, please fix widgets in Classic environmen
on
MacOS X DP3
·
· Score: 2
So Apple are punishing users for the non-action of developers? An interesting theory, and given Apple's history not totally inconceivable.
So perhaps there will be some ability to get Classic to look like Aqua.
Re:Apple, please fix widgets in Classic environmen
on
MacOS X DP3
·
· Score: 2
The "classic" environment looks different so that you intentionally know that you're running a non-OSX app.
Think about it. If OS 9 apps are so blatant when running OS X, won't you be more inclined to bug the developer into developing a Carbon or Cocoa (OS X) version of the app so that you'll get all the new features?
Of course.
I was thinking more in terms of usability and general lickability of the UI, but since you bring it up:
Well, Win3.x windows look like Win95 windows when running under Win95 and millions of people still upgraded their apps. WinOS/2 apps looked nothing like OS/2 apps and nobody upgraded to the OS/2 apps.
People are going to upgrade their apps anyway - especially since Apple have gotten into the habit of reminding users of new versions every time you start an app. Damn QT4 drives me insane!
I can't guarantee that the screenshot I linked to was genuine since I didn't make it, but it seemed to be a trustworthy and they were pretty positive about OSX, why bother making an ugly fake?
I remember reading the web version of the book when it was in beta (Only computer companies could make beta books).
It suggested that if you're coding for a particular platform then use the appropriate guidelines for that platform. So the Windows guidelines apply when you use the Windows L&F. The Sun guide recommended using the Metal/Swing L&F if it was likely that your app was to be used on more than one platform.
I design and build UIs in Java every day. I always follow the Windows guidelines because even though my code could be run on a UNIX box, it won't be.
While the Sun guidelines are pretty good, I would only recommend buying the book if you design with the Metal L&F.
From a strictly academic viewpoint, Pascal enforces excellent programming practice. Unfortunately, it isn't used very much in the real world. As a general purpose starting language, I'd bite the bullet and learn C++. It has it's own set of ideosyncracies, and you have to be careful not to get too gung-ho on classes Microsoft Foundation Classes are just plain scary).
I guess another thing to consider,too, is why you're learning to code in the first place.
If you're completly new to coding, Pascal is a bloody good language to teach you fundamentals: loops, iteration, variables, functions etc.
Heaps of "learn x in 24 hours" book forget these fundamentals, and I have debugged a shitload of code written by finance geeks that could have been a lot more concise and efficient if they had known the benefits of using functions rather than retyping a whole bunch of code every time they wanted to add a few columns of numbers.
I'd have to say C++ is a horrible language to learn as a first language. There are sooo many "advancd features" like operator overloading, all sorts of class issues (try explaing friends to someone who just learned the difference between x++ and ++x.
In fact, even if you're an experienced coder learning OO techniques, C++ can be confusing. I remember my second year at university going from simple little MacPascal programs to C++ on DOS and Unix machines. It put me off coding for a long time.
I'm not sure what the design flaws in Java are, but it has been pretty easy to pick up for a guy who previously maintained code written in xBase, VB, Delphi and plain ol' procedural C.
I've also heard Python is a good language to learn good OO techniques.
I'd say unless you really, really, really need to learn C++, stay away!
OT:Anyone using Java with MPW on a Mac? Mail me and tell me what you think.
My iMac has never actually crashed, but both IE and Netscape have hung on me more than once. The only app to shoot itself in the foot was Outlook Express probably because of a large attachment. Since I started using a PII 450 with WinNT at work I've never had a crash or hang. Due to company security policy I have to shut down the machine every night - which isn't really an issue because I'm not using it when I'm not at work.
I remember using Warp 3 in 1995. I downloaded a shitload of software for Warp to take the place of the stuff on my DOS partition (My aim was to cease depending on the WinOS/2 system and free up some disk space).
OS/2 had a "feature" that would allow you to shut down your system with apps open and it would open them again next time you started up. Not the same as resume on a laptop, but similar. This feature was set "on" by default.
There were a couple of programs that gave me all sorts of grief when combined with the restart feature. I would start up an app and it would either freeze the PC or crash it. Then the OS would restart along with the dodgy app and I would be stuck in a loop.
I spent hours trying to figure out how to stop it and it ended up something like editing an obscure text file in a special text mode of OS/2. Poos.
I didn't do the ThinkGeek link, just the review. I did find the FatBrain link for Hemos but didn't put it in the review. I'm just reading all the comments now, it's cool to think there's over 100 posts about something I've written. Joe
This is made easier by the fact that if Linux works faster than NT they can just look at sources and figure out what Linux is doing better than NT.
I remember doing a search on my company's intranet on Linux and coming to a page with links to the Linux sources. The page has a Warning telling OS developers not to look at Linux sources due to potential copyright/IP/etc problems.
Are MS (or any other company for that matter) allowed to peruse the Linux sources for good hacks and then incorporate those into their own OSes? Even to fix a benchmark? It would be cool if someone could clarify that. Perhaps it's an Ask Slashdot question?
I got an iMac yesterday basically for simplicity. I'm a sotware nerd and I don't want to even think about hardware.
My favourite thing about the USB connections on the side of my iMac is that it doesn't matter which one I plug the printer into and which one I plug the keybord into. It's all worked out for me.
Ease of use comes from simplicity and consistency. This has been evident in the software world for a while, now it's time for hardware designers and builders to take the same ideas and make them a reality.
Pitr and Mark: the technicians at Columbia Internet it's Mike isn't it? Go Illiad. UF is bloody funny and the first site I check every day! -------------------------------------------- -----------
NT has a HOSTS file in %systemroot\system32\drivers\etc\ It's in the same format as the UNIX ones, so you just have to point the banner servers at 127.0.0.1 to block them. Yay! ------------------------------------------------ -------
I wonder how much Buy.com depend on Doubleclick. I assume that their main source of revenue is from people buying things rather than ads. But Doubleclick would be providing them with invaluable user data.
having never bought a single thing through buy.com, I am personally not affected by this, but it strikes me that it would be similar to a tv station preventing you from changing the channel during an infomercial. Just dumb.
I changed my NT hosts file to block DoubleClick half an hour ago. It's already blocked a few ads from Yahoo! Mail. Time will tell what else it affects. It might make a good/. report. ----------------------------------------- --------------
More importantly Caldera left out a whole bunch of window managers.
IMHO this is the best thing they could have done. When I first started using Linux I would play with the different options that appeared when I right clicked on the root window. I don't know how many times during this initial exploration of my new Linux environment did I manage to completely change how everything looked and worked. More often than not there was no obvious way to change it back.
By bundling only KDE Caldera have acknowledged that one UI is better than lots. They have realised that the geeks who want the flexibility will probably be willing to either:
download a different WM
get one off another CD
create their own themes
any or all of the above
Congratulations Caldera for having the sack to pick something and stick to it. --------------------------------------------- ----------
It would normally be some kind of arty type person designing these movie UIs. I would bet on macromedia Director being the tool rather the relatively more complex Unix+E ------------------------------------------ -------------
Joe Barr wrote this article for LinuxWorld concerning moving from Windows to Linux.
Joe converted from Eudora to KMail simply by copying the Eudora mail files to his unix partition and pointing KMail at them. I would imaging sharing the mail database would work quite well.
Hope this helps. ------------------------------------------ -------------
For Sun, it's a control thing - they can't stand the thought that Microsoft might participate in Open Source and make its own changes. This even though everyone else would have access to MS's changes in that case and could clone the good ones.
Bruce is right, it is about control. Sun have control over Solaris and they want to keep it. I don't necessarily think that fear of MS making changes is the reason for keeping control (although I'm sure it has crossed the minds of at least a few Sun execs).
There are all kinds of boring marketing reasons to want to "have your cake and eat it too" as Sun are trying. Imagine Scott McNealy telling shareholders that Solaris is doing really well, but that Sun aren't the number one sellers: rather a company that publishes books on Sun software has repackaged Solaris with a different GUI and installer and sold it with "Solaris for Numbskulls".
I agree that Sun are stretching the term Open Source with their license - but that's really a marketing argument rather than a technical one. -------------------------------------------- -----------
Slashdot Mirror
I interviewed as a UI designer for IBM never thinking I'd actually get the job.
I was 23 years old with an Information Science degree and ~18 months experience doing all manner of tech jobs jobs.
When I was offered the job I asked my new manager why they were giving it to me. The answer was basically age and relative lack of experience. My manager hoped that I would bring new ideas to the lab as well as more likely to "be moulded into the IBM way" of doing things.
I bet the fact that they could pay me 15-20K less helped too!
What with all new Apple Boxen lacking a floppy drive, there's going to be a big hole in Apple's Quality Assurance Testing.
Sure, their developers think they're writing code that implements and uses pre-emptive multitasking, but without the ability to conduct the Classic Test, they'll never be able to tell!
Steve Jobs is gonna be pretty pissed when this gets out.
Similarly, it's not good form to be found carrying a knife used in a stabbing. And the real no-no is to be found with a smoking gun in your hand and a until-recently-alive person splayed on the floor, their brain decorating the wall.
But...
If you look at these screenshots: http://www.xappeal.org/ archive/dp3-2/classicappearance1.jpg and http://www.xappeal.org/ archive/dp3-2/classicappearance2.jpg, you'll see the good ole MacOS appearance manager allowing the user to switch b/w Apple Platinum (normal MacOS) and ClassicX (appears to have Aqua Style menus).
So perhaps there will be some ability to get Classic to look like Aqua.
Think about it. If OS 9 apps are so blatant when running OS X, won't you be more inclined to bug the developer into developing a Carbon or Cocoa (OS X) version of the app so that you'll get all the new features?
Of course.
I was thinking more in terms of usability and general lickability of the UI, but since you bring it up:
Well, Win3.x windows look like Win95 windows when running under Win95 and millions of people still upgraded their apps. WinOS/2 apps looked nothing like OS/2 apps and nobody upgraded to the OS/2 apps.
People are going to upgrade their apps anyway - especially since Apple have gotten into the habit of reminding users of new versions every time you start an app. Damn QT4 drives me insane!
I can't guarantee that the screenshot I linked to was genuine since I didn't make it, but it seemed to be a trustworthy and they were pretty positive about OSX, why bother making an ugly fake?
How innovative of MS :->
I'd still rather see proper Aqua widgets in Classic though.
It's not quite the MacOS 8/9 look and feel is it? And it isn't as pretty as Aqua. More like the bastard child of both of them.
Why not go the whole hog and make Classic use the Aqua L&F? If that can't be done, why mess with the locations of the zoom and collapse buttons?
This is all too WinOS2ish for my liking. Different window widgets for different apps is ugly. Poo.
Book reviews that link to Book sites and make money from the links are nothing new or shocking.
I ordered the previous version last night and it looks like I'll be getting PPC 2000. Sweet. Linux on an iMac. I'll be loving it.
It suggested that if you're coding for a particular platform then use the appropriate guidelines for that platform. So the Windows guidelines apply when you use the Windows L&F. The Sun guide recommended using the Metal/Swing L&F if it was likely that your app was to be used on more than one platform.
I design and build UIs in Java every day. I always follow the Windows guidelines because even though my code could be run on a UNIX box, it won't be.
While the Sun guidelines are pretty good, I would only recommend buying the book if you design with the Metal L&F.
I guess another thing to consider,too, is why you're learning to code in the first place.
If you're completly new to coding, Pascal is a bloody good language to teach you fundamentals: loops, iteration, variables, functions etc.
Heaps of "learn x in 24 hours" book forget these fundamentals, and I have debugged a shitload of code written by finance geeks that could have been a lot more concise and efficient if they had known the benefits of using functions rather than retyping a whole bunch of code every time they wanted to add a few columns of numbers.
I'd have to say C++ is a horrible language to learn as a first language. There are sooo many "advancd features" like operator overloading, all sorts of class issues (try explaing friends to someone who just learned the difference between x++ and ++x.
In fact, even if you're an experienced coder learning OO techniques, C++ can be confusing. I remember my second year at university going from simple little MacPascal programs to C++ on DOS and Unix machines. It put me off coding for a long time.
I'm not sure what the design flaws in Java are, but it has been pretty easy to pick up for a guy who previously maintained code written in xBase, VB, Delphi and plain ol' procedural C.
I've also heard Python is a good language to learn good OO techniques.
I'd say unless you really, really, really need to learn C++, stay away!
OT:Anyone using Java with MPW on a Mac? Mail me and tell me what you think.
My iMac has never actually crashed, but both IE and Netscape have hung on me more than once. The only app to shoot itself in the foot was Outlook Express probably because of a large attachment. Since I started using a PII 450 with WinNT at work I've never had a crash or hang. Due to company security policy I have to shut down the machine every night - which isn't really an issue because I'm not using it when I'm not at work.
I remember using Warp 3 in 1995. I downloaded a shitload of software for Warp to take the place of the stuff on my DOS partition (My aim was to cease depending on the WinOS/2 system and free up some disk space).
OS/2 had a "feature" that would allow you to shut down your system with apps open and it would open them again next time you started up. Not the same as resume on a laptop, but similar. This feature was set "on" by default.
There were a couple of programs that gave me all sorts of grief when combined with the restart feature. I would start up an app and it would either freeze the PC or crash it. Then the OS would restart along with the dodgy app and I would be stuck in a loop.
I spent hours trying to figure out how to stop it and it ended up something like editing an obscure text file in a special text mode of OS/2. Poos.
I didn't do the ThinkGeek link, just the review. I did find the FatBrain link for Hemos but didn't put it in the review. I'm just reading all the comments now, it's cool to think there's over 100 posts about something I've written. Joe
I guess since they've made a Notes-server dedicated box it was time to concentrate on one with enough grunt to take on the Notes client!
I remember doing a search on my company's intranet on Linux and coming to a page with links to the Linux sources. The page has a Warning telling OS developers not to look at Linux sources due to potential copyright/IP/etc problems.
Are MS (or any other company for that matter) allowed to peruse the Linux sources for good hacks and then incorporate those into their own OSes? Even to fix a benchmark? It would be cool if someone could clarify that. Perhaps it's an Ask Slashdot question?
My favourite thing about the USB connections on the side of my iMac is that it doesn't matter which one I plug the printer into and which one I plug the keybord into. It's all worked out for me.
Ease of use comes from simplicity and consistency. This has been evident in the software world for a while, now it's time for hardware designers and builders to take the same ideas and make them a reality.
-----------------------------------------------
Pitr and Mark: the technicians at Columbia Internet it's Mike isn't it? Go Illiad. UF is bloody funny and the first site I check every day!- -----------
-------------------------------------------
NT has a HOSTS file in %systemroot\system32\drivers\etc\- -------
It's in the same format as the UNIX ones, so you just have to point the banner servers at 127.0.0.1 to block them. Yay!
-----------------------------------------------
having never bought a single thing through buy.com, I am personally not affected by this, but it strikes me that it would be similar to a tv station preventing you from changing the channel during an infomercial. Just dumb.
I changed my NT hosts file to block DoubleClick half an hour ago. It's already blocked a few ads from Yahoo! Mail. Time will tell what else it affects. It might make a good /. report.- --------------
----------------------------------------
IMHO this is the best thing they could have done. When I first started using Linux I would play with the different options that appeared when I right clicked on the root window. I don't know how many times during this initial exploration of my new Linux environment did I manage to completely change how everything looked and worked. More often than not there was no obvious way to change it back.
By bundling only KDE Caldera have acknowledged that one UI is better than lots. They have realised that the geeks who want the flexibility will probably be willing to either:
- download a different WM
- get one off another CD
- create their own themes
- any or all of the above
Congratulations Caldera for having the sack to pick something and stick to it.--------------------------------------------
It would normally be some kind of arty type person designing these movie UIs. I would bet on macromedia Director being the tool rather the relatively more complex Unix+E- -------------
-----------------------------------------
Joe converted from Eudora to KMail simply by copying the Eudora mail files to his unix partition and pointing KMail at them. I would imaging sharing the mail database would work quite well.
Hope this helps.- -------------
-----------------------------------------
- Reason #1: They don't have a stranglehold on the market
- Reason #2: Most of their employees aren't millionares
Anyone want to add a few more?-----------------------------------------------
Bruce is right, it is about control. Sun have control over Solaris and they want to keep it. I don't necessarily think that fear of MS making changes is the reason for keeping control (although I'm sure it has crossed the minds of at least a few Sun execs).
There are all kinds of boring marketing reasons to want to "have your cake and eat it too" as Sun are trying. Imagine Scott McNealy telling shareholders that Solaris is doing really well, but that Sun aren't the number one sellers: rather a company that publishes books on Sun software has repackaged Solaris with a different GUI and installer and sold it with "Solaris for Numbskulls".
I agree that Sun are stretching the term Open Source with their license - but that's really a marketing argument rather than a technical one.- -----------
-------------------------------------------