1) so Apple should optimize their mouse to work with non-Apple keyboards? I HATE long mouse cords. Why the hell would I want an extra two feet of cable getting tangled around stuff when I've got a perfectly good USB port on my keyboard?
2) When I used a corded mouse on my 12" Powerbook, the cable was just long enough to reach around behind the monitor and plug in, leaving me just enough play to operate the mouse comfortably. See above with extra two feet of cable: NOT desireable.
"Has Apple upgraded its stock mouse from rubber ball to optical yet?"
Uh, something like four years ago, yeah.
"having to press key combinations to emulate extra buttons is much more confusing for anyone new to Macs."
That's just the point: By requiring developers to not count on the right mouse button, they have to put stuff in places other than the contextual menu.
That's been getting sloppier lately, but that was the original theory (which sounded pretty good to me).
"Have you ever had the joy of talking through a solution you don't use yourself over a phone?"
Welcome to my life. This is why I choose simple instructions rather than dissertations on when the right click is necessary.
Sure, sometimes the contextual menus are a shortcut. However, it's also very difficult to locate a function that's buried in one of them, and isn't accessible from other places. "Oh, I was supposed to right click on THIS pixel, not THAT pixel! Now I understand!"
"I find contextual menus useful."
Sure, they can be useful. Or they can be obfuscated and confusing. I find that the second case is more prevalent than the first, by a substantial margin.
"Does that count for anything?"
You've got an opinion just like I do. Consider yourself validated, and not like parking.
I'm not talking about people who are comfortable with computers. I'm talking about people who are confused by right click, left click, double click, when do I double-right click?
I'm not saying contextual menus should go away (although I don't happen to care for them at all). I'm saying they're a poor excuse for good user interface, and they are confusing to computer neophytes, who are the people who have benefited from Apple's reluctance to use multi-button mice as a factory default.
Why would Microsoft encourage you to use Linux? It might make more sense for you to use Linux, but it certainly does not make sense for Microsoft to facilitate that for you.
You make three excellent points. I think contextual menus are an ugly hack, almost as bad as tabbed dialog boxes. I think that Apple was caving on their UI guidelines when they included them, and I think that creeping featuritis has led them to include functions that are only accessible in the contextual menus.
However, I maintain that the contextual menus are not necessary for day-to-day operation of the computer. Mostly, I maintain that because I never use those contextual menus in my day-to-day operation of my computer.
My argument was "When you're explaining something to somebody, explain the least complex method." Usually, the "least complex method" does not involve the right mouse button.
Who was talking about Emacsian keyboard chords? I was talking about the menus at the top of the screen...you know, the ones where there are a bunch of words that correspond to program functions...
Why would you ever do that? Contextual menus on the Mac are optional. You don't have to use them to get to any function. They're a convenience for people who are more comfortable with PCs than Aunt Tillie.
Unfortunately, it would also give you vicious blood blisters if you forgot to keep the pads of your fingers away from the place where the spines of the blades come together near the hinge when you're using the pliers.
That's the one thing I wish they'd fix, because that HURTS.
Well DAMN! I'm absolutely certain that it never occured to any of the thousands of aerospace engineers that worked on Shuttle thought about making the thing LIGHTER. They should have hired you, huh?
The President's "Designated Free Speech Areas" are a clear violation of the First Amendment.
According to the theory of inalienable rights upon which our nation is based, everywhere there are people is a "Designated Free Speech Area". If the President doesn't want to listen to what the people have to say to or about him, he should stop being President.
What's the real difference between reading a book and reading a news article on Slashdot? How is one more "living" than the other?
People go to a coffee shop for a bunch of different reasons. Shockingly enough, they might go places to do things that you think they shouldn't do so much. Fortunately for the rest of us, it's none of your business. Pardon the pun.
I love reading. I read manuals of every piece of equipment I buy, because I figure the person who took the time to write the manual might have a better understanding of the system than I do, and I like to learn.
I also won't buy things that are badly designed and non-obvious in their function. Those objects are hostile to all users, regardless of their predilection for reading.
So you designed the system that did the Mother May I to activate the hardware that I purchased. (OK, I WOULD have purchased, before I got a Treo 650...)
I'm glad to hear that the analog stick (which was the one thing I miss on my Treo) would have been totally useless for the things I wanted to do, because your code would guarantee that it wouldn't work.
Particularly since the firm is now out of business.
You justify it however you want: Your DRM is customer-hostile. I'm glad I didn't get suckered in.
I'm looking forward to seeing somebody who manages to reverse engineer your code and disable it. Then, the Zodiacs that will be flooding eBay will be excellent pieces of hardware.
I don't give a damn about the marketing. I really don't even care about brand-name games. I do care about engineered-in exclusivity.
Conversely, large groups with very basic needs (the Aunt Tillies of the world) are routinely ignored by the open source grognards. "What do you mean you don't know how to recompile your kernel? RTFM, n00b."
So, I guess, like with so many things in life, one size doesn't fit all.
Slashdot Mirror
I hated it for its beyond-horrible user interface.
There might be people who make magnificent sculptures out of poo, but I don't really want to go near them...
I lived in Texas for 20 years (including most of my formal education) and I guarantee that I can spell better than you can.
Ass.
1) so Apple should optimize their mouse to work with non-Apple keyboards? I HATE long mouse cords. Why the hell would I want an extra two feet of cable getting tangled around stuff when I've got a perfectly good USB port on my keyboard?
2) When I used a corded mouse on my 12" Powerbook, the cable was just long enough to reach around behind the monitor and plug in, leaving me just enough play to operate the mouse comfortably. See above with extra two feet of cable: NOT desireable.
We get it: You don't like bluetooth mice. Fine. Get over the fact that some other people have a different set of wants and desires than you do.
Crikey...nobody's coming with scissors to cut your umbilicus. Settle down.
"Has Apple upgraded its stock mouse from rubber ball to optical yet?"
Uh, something like four years ago, yeah.
"having to press key combinations to emulate extra buttons is much more confusing for anyone new to Macs."
That's just the point: By requiring developers to not count on the right mouse button, they have to put stuff in places other than the contextual menu.
That's been getting sloppier lately, but that was the original theory (which sounded pretty good to me).
"Have you ever had the joy of talking through a solution you don't use yourself over a phone?"
Welcome to my life. This is why I choose simple instructions rather than dissertations on when the right click is necessary.
Sure, sometimes the contextual menus are a shortcut. However, it's also very difficult to locate a function that's buried in one of them, and isn't accessible from other places. "Oh, I was supposed to right click on THIS pixel, not THAT pixel! Now I understand!"
"I find contextual menus useful."
Sure, they can be useful. Or they can be obfuscated and confusing. I find that the second case is more prevalent than the first, by a substantial margin.
"Does that count for anything?"
You've got an opinion just like I do. Consider yourself validated, and not like parking.
I'm not talking about people who are comfortable with computers. I'm talking about people who are confused by right click, left click, double click, when do I double-right click?
I'm not saying contextual menus should go away (although I don't happen to care for them at all). I'm saying they're a poor excuse for good user interface, and they are confusing to computer neophytes, who are the people who have benefited from Apple's reluctance to use multi-button mice as a factory default.
Wow. What ever shall I do? Somebody named "sp0rk173" thinks I'm a moron.
. .to live...
Self-confidence...waning...can't...summon...will.
Why would Microsoft encourage you to use Linux? It might make more sense for you to use Linux, but it certainly does not make sense for Microsoft to facilitate that for you.
I have absolutely no idea where you're going with this. I do not understand why, given two methods to solve a problem, you'd pick the harder one.
But hey, if that's what tweaks your motor, knock yourself out.
You're joking, right? Why on EARTH would Microsoft accomodate any competitor?
I mean, heck! While you're wishing, why don't you wish for Bill Gates to stuff a couple million bucks in your Christmas stocking...
You make three excellent points. I think contextual menus are an ugly hack, almost as bad as tabbed dialog boxes. I think that Apple was caving on their UI guidelines when they included them, and I think that creeping featuritis has led them to include functions that are only accessible in the contextual menus.
However, I maintain that the contextual menus are not necessary for day-to-day operation of the computer. Mostly, I maintain that because I never use those contextual menus in my day-to-day operation of my computer.
Huh?
My argument was "When you're explaining something to somebody, explain the least complex method." Usually, the "least complex method" does not involve the right mouse button.
Who was talking about Emacsian keyboard chords? I was talking about the menus at the top of the screen...you know, the ones where there are a bunch of words that correspond to program functions...
Why would you ever do that? Contextual menus on the Mac are optional. You don't have to use them to get to any function. They're a convenience for people who are more comfortable with PCs than Aunt Tillie.
Unfortunately, it would also give you vicious blood blisters if you forgot to keep the pads of your fingers away from the place where the spines of the blades come together near the hinge when you're using the pliers.
That's the one thing I wish they'd fix, because that HURTS.
Well DAMN! I'm absolutely certain that it never occured to any of the thousands of aerospace engineers that worked on Shuttle thought about making the thing LIGHTER. They should have hired you, huh?
Your insight is so...so insightful!
(yes. I am mocking you.)
"Next time you are visiting the central coast of Florida, make sure you tell everyone you know that they failed."
They already know.
Yeah, you really need to get a Leatherman. You'll never go back to a Swiss Army knife.
I've got an extensive tool kit too, but the Leatherman is always in my pocket...
Can we leave off the stupid analogies now?
The President's "Designated Free Speech Areas" are a clear violation of the First Amendment.
According to the theory of inalienable rights upon which our nation is based, everywhere there are people is a "Designated Free Speech Area". If the President doesn't want to listen to what the people have to say to or about him, he should stop being President.
What's the real difference between reading a book and reading a news article on Slashdot? How is one more "living" than the other?
People go to a coffee shop for a bunch of different reasons. Shockingly enough, they might go places to do things that you think they shouldn't do so much. Fortunately for the rest of us, it's none of your business. Pardon the pun.
Strike your own balance. Leave me out of it.
Must feel really good to be so superior.
I love reading. I read manuals of every piece of equipment I buy, because I figure the person who took the time to write the manual might have a better understanding of the system than I do, and I like to learn.
I also won't buy things that are badly designed and non-obvious in their function. Those objects are hostile to all users, regardless of their predilection for reading.
Ain't socialism grand? Let's do it to medicine, too. It'll be GREAT!
So you designed the system that did the Mother May I to activate the hardware that I purchased. (OK, I WOULD have purchased, before I got a Treo 650...)
I'm glad to hear that the analog stick (which was the one thing I miss on my Treo) would have been totally useless for the things I wanted to do, because your code would guarantee that it wouldn't work.
Particularly since the firm is now out of business.
You justify it however you want: Your DRM is customer-hostile. I'm glad I didn't get suckered in.
I'm looking forward to seeing somebody who manages to reverse engineer your code and disable it. Then, the Zodiacs that will be flooding eBay will be excellent pieces of hardware.
I don't give a damn about the marketing. I really don't even care about brand-name games. I do care about engineered-in exclusivity.
They don't read help files either.
Conversely, large groups with very basic needs (the Aunt Tillies of the world) are routinely ignored by the open source grognards. "What do you mean you don't know how to recompile your kernel? RTFM, n00b."
So, I guess, like with so many things in life, one size doesn't fit all.