Do you really expect users, to know if their environment is secure?
On the other hand, it's a great idea. More cracked accounts, more retards hurt, less retards being successful, less retards reproducing, and the global IQ rises.
Seriously, I miss the intelligence boost that harsh times give humanity.:/
Nielsen is mixing up usability, the science of making interfaces more efficient and usable, with promoting stupidity, the method of making it easier but actually less efficient and useful, to get even the biggest idiot to be able to use it, at the cost of all those more intelligent.
This itself would be ok, if you chose to have dumber people as your target group. But as soon as you do it, nature invents bigger idiots. And then most companies are making it even simpler. Until it is basically useless, if you got half a brain.
Good examples of what this results in, are those moments where you notice that the reason you were unable to get your OS / electronics device to do what you like, is that you actually understood what you are doing, and as soon as you just thought like an idiot, you got to the right function.
Experts leveled the whole area, created the biggest mountain quarter possible in one edge, filled it with waterfalls, and then started the game in pause mode, to add dams to it. You could easily power the whole city with that mountain, while not having any of the risks or rebuilding costs of the others.
Now if only we hat a magical waterfall from space descent upon the Himalaya...:P
Were are my algae-powered overlords! I want my overlords! Now, you insensitive clods! *cries*
And 1. a beowulf-cluster of 2. soviet-russian transparent pink 3. unicorn pony sharks, that must be new here, run Linux, have frickin' laser-beams on their horns 4.... 5. and give me PROFIT, while you're at it?
I don't see and 3D in there. Looks like another simplified (read "limiting") mobile frontend, for those that never used a computer. (I have a bit or an oldschool view here, but I stand by it: "Using" for me means, you actually automated something yourself. You know. The freaking *point* of a computer.)
Is it just me, or do all these 3D metaphors and even design-by-metaphor concepts look like very stupid concepts to others too?
If I design something, I do not need metaphors, and they look more like makeshifts (is that a proper English word?) for when you can't come up with ideas yourself. Basically it's mostly applying existing concepts to something new, where it does not fit.
Then that thing with 3D. Everybody wants to do something new, cool, in 3D. But nobody knows what the point of it is. If you want an actual 3D interface, it hat so be real 3D. Not only 3D projected onto 2D. And ideally, you have to be able to use it, like you would use a rubics cube. Including using your hands in that way. If you got such a device, or are designing for such a future device, I'm sure, a good 3D interface (which in fact will be 4D) will be a benefit. But until then, flat is flat is flat. If you shift it to the side, or make it animate "behind" something else, makes really no difference. It's just smoke and mirrors. And like smoke and mirrors, you will not be very efficient with it. (There's a metaphor for you. ^^)
Yes. Less milk. But at least it IS still milk. And not that strange stuff tasting like hay and barns. I know, because I can always detect when something is wrong with the milk I'm drinking. Grass milk tastes much better, and is more full (also of vitamins). Skimmed milk also tastes bad. Like a protein shake or something strangely chemical. And UHT-milk is the worst. Chemically, it is no milk anymore at all. It literally is a shake of water and completely destroyed molecules that once were proteins and vitamins. The worst scam is the new "longer fresh" milk. It's essentially re-labeled UHT milk, heated with a new method. It still tastes like crap, but they can sell it at the price of fresh milk. (Who should be cheaper, because it does not need to be processed that much.)
So by selling hay milk of those extreme milk machines who should not called "cows" anymore, they are essentially scamming people in a criminal way, and should be thrown into prison, for endangering the health of millions, and cheating them out of their hard earned money, bug selling them the equivalent of glass pearls.
For the gain of an industry, not bigger than that of the industry of toilet seats or brushes, Internet utilities and places are forced to do, what is the job of the police and government, and additionally censor things.
Well, luckily, according to their own calculations, the RIAA has only 5-7 years more to live.:)
On another note, I am a bit happy that Rapidshare will be killed. It was a horrible step backward from modern systems like Gnutella. In terms of modernity, Rapidshare was here: Rapidshare, FTP, alt.binary & Co. -> Napster & Co. -> BitTorrent & Co. -> eDonkey & Co. -> Gnutella, WinMX/NY & Co. -> Darknets & Co. (Yes. BitTorrent also is a step backwards, because the search function is not inside the application, and you have to download little header files, instead of ed2k/magnet/etc. links, which makes it unnecessarily complicated.)
I internally use a format that is derived from EBML. Matroska's internal generic binary markup format. I simply added a mapping header, that maps tag names and parameter names to the tag ids. That way I can easily convert, and edit the files, with any text editor, and transform from XML and back without any hassle at all. It's just like ASCII is a mapping of numbers to characters. Just on one level higher.
It's nearly too simple an obvious. So I think it should be come a new standard.:)
No, you don't get, just how twisted those lawyers' minds are:
They thought, if their code can't be a illegal copy of ScummVM, then ScrummVM must be the illegal ones. So they started, just like children, to say "No you are stupid and have stolen it from me!". They seriously think they can act as if ScummVM reverse-engineered "their" oh-so-precious game so that Nintendo does not realize they broke a license with them too! And they think that, because they are a big company, they can get trough with it.
Obviously they are stuck between a rock, and a hard place, and pretty much fucked either way. Essentially all because of Nintendo and that small sub-sub-contractor. If I were Nintendo, I would lift the ban for open source games, and profit from it. But those managers have to much exaggerated egos, and think changing their minds would look weak. (When in fact, being so stiff, does make them look weak and stupid.) If I were the EFF, I would sure Atari, and instantly call them up, and tell them, that this is not directed at them, but meant to be redirected to the real sourceos of this (The sub-sub-contractor and Nintendo.) If I were Atari, I would then sue the sub-sub-contractor, to pay damages to the EFF, the ScummVM team, etc, and be out of it. Then the EFF should lobby a bit at Nintendo, to show them, how much they can actually profit from allowing open source software on their console. (Explain to them how essential a community is for a game and a console, and quote right out of Jesse Schell's (chairman of the international game developers association) book, chapter 22.)
I agree, that a good set of defaults is the best thing a software can have. But most deveolpers are not thinking this to the end. Defaults are the solution, for the perfect merger, of freedom, and simplicity (which is closely related to efficiency, but not the same, and often confused). That's why they are so important.
Two examples are Gnome and KDE, the old arch rival friends.
Gnome decided, that the most important part, is simplicity. But their developers thought, you could not reach this, without removing freedom. So they hard-coded options, which also saved them the time to implement the other options. But in the end it was a pointless loss of efficiency and freedom, because of laziness and that false dichotomy.
KDE decided, that freedom is the most important part. But their developers thought, you could not reach this, without removing simplicity. So they added every option and feature they could think of, which unfortunately killed it for users who just want to use it, and not do a thousand decisions every time they use something with an obvious default. In the end, this was pointless too, because of the loss of efficiency and simplicity, because of that same false dichotomy.
If you now think, that I show no respect for their hard efforts, to make a good desktop environment, you are wrong. I love their hard work, that they are doing entirely *for free*. So I can't make any demands anyway, and so can't you. But you can inspire them with your ideas for improvements!
And my idea here, is that you can have both. Without any losses. Freedom and simplicity. Trough actually allowing choices, and implementing options. (I think you can do much better there, Gnome developers!) And then choosing the absolute best defaults. These are the defaults that are determined by the usage patters of your user base. And nothing else. (I think you both can do better there, KDE and Gnome developers!) And then there is a second level of defaults. Those of the specific user.
The idea is that you only change the things, where your preferences differ from the usual. Of the user base. And of your own usual usage. Apart from that, those choices and options have to be completely out of the view and not disturb you in any way (I think you can do much better there, KDE developers!), but be available in the blink of an eye.
And finally, to perfect it, and actually make a step beyond the basics that are know for decades, offer a hierarchic set of presets. On the fist level, offer people to download and activate one of many presets for the whole of KDE or Gnome, on installation. And let them make their own. On the second level, offer a choice and the creation of presets for specific applications and application groups. Just by having a preset on-line browser on the first start, and giving you an export and publish function for your configuration state. Those global presets could be created out of those specific presets, by bundling them.
That way, a designer could choose the (in)official "Designer" master preset, but the "Kenny's DVD authoring presets" group, for the burning and video applications. And then only have to set one single option, to reach his state of perfection, in terms of efficiency without playing with that thing all day long, just to be able to use it like he wants.
As a final thought, I hope at least someone will be inspired by this. Remember that I wrote this, to improve the state. Not to to slam anyone. So I also hope that I'm not misunderstood.
Slashdot Mirror
So your argument is, that we should dumb everything down, because we are too lazy to teach them?
Do you really expect users, to know if their environment is secure?
On the other hand, it's a great idea. More cracked accounts, more retards hurt, less retards being successful, less retards reproducing, and the global IQ rises.
Seriously, I miss the intelligence boost that harsh times give humanity. :/
Nielsen is mixing up usability, the science of making interfaces more efficient and usable, with promoting stupidity, the method of making it easier but actually less efficient and useful, to get even the biggest idiot to be able to use it, at the cost of all those more intelligent.
This itself would be ok, if you chose to have dumber people as your target group.
But as soon as you do it, nature invents bigger idiots. And then most companies are making it even simpler. Until it is basically useless, if you got half a brain.
Good examples of what this results in, are those moments where you notice that the reason you were unable to get your OS / electronics device to do what you like, is that you actually understood what you are doing, and as soon as you just thought like an idiot, you got to the right function.
L: They won't see us!
B: Uh-huh
L: Uh-uuh
B: Uh-huh
L: Uh-uuh
B: UH-HUH
L: Not if we JAM it!
B: AAH-HAH! You're right!
L: Down scope!
B: Down scope!
The joke is, that it is only interesting, as long as not everybody is doing it.
Seriously, after an hour on a topless beach, you start to look them in the faces first. :P
And before you know it, they are not that interesting anymore.
...blocking encrypted downloads. Lol. Even a ROT128 would circumvent that.
How about a lye burn?
In a life critical system, it costs a fucktonne..
That's a "nice" way, of saying, that a human being just died for no reason at all, but you screwing up. :/
How many fucktonnes did the Iraq war cost btw?
Where else would you find a girl to love these monsters?
Experts leveled the whole area, created the biggest mountain quarter possible in one edge, filled it with waterfalls, and then started the game in pause mode, to add dams to it. You could easily power the whole city with that mountain, while not having any of the risks or rebuilding costs of the others.
Now if only we hat a magical waterfall from space descent upon the Himalaya... :P
Well, that's an easy solution, isn't it? You stop paying them. Tadaaa!
I should apply for a job at Nike.
Were are my algae-powered overlords! I want my overlords! Now, you insensitive clods! *cries*
And ...
1. a beowulf-cluster of
2. soviet-russian transparent pink
3. unicorn pony sharks, that must be new here, run Linux, have frickin' laser-beams on their horns
4.
5. and give me PROFIT,
while you're at it?
That news is so old, I read about it in a magazine in 2002. And back then, it was said that it had been know for a long time.
I don't see and 3D in there. Looks like another simplified (read "limiting") mobile frontend, for those that never used a computer. (I have a bit or an oldschool view here, but I stand by it: "Using" for me means, you actually automated something yourself. You know. The freaking *point* of a computer.)
Is it just me, or do all these 3D metaphors and even design-by-metaphor concepts look like very stupid concepts to others too?
If I design something, I do not need metaphors, and they look more like makeshifts (is that a proper English word?) for when you can't come up with ideas yourself.
Basically it's mostly applying existing concepts to something new, where it does not fit.
Then that thing with 3D. Everybody wants to do something new, cool, in 3D. But nobody knows what the point of it is.
If you want an actual 3D interface, it hat so be real 3D. Not only 3D projected onto 2D. And ideally, you have to be able to use it, like you would use a rubics cube. Including using your hands in that way.
If you got such a device, or are designing for such a future device, I'm sure, a good 3D interface (which in fact will be 4D) will be a benefit.
But until then, flat is flat is flat. If you shift it to the side, or make it animate "behind" something else, makes really no difference. It's just smoke and mirrors. And like smoke and mirrors, you will not be very efficient with it. (There's a metaphor for you. ^^)
You sound like the narrator in Fight Club. With his IKEA catalog life.
But don't worry. You will get to your zero point.
Yes. Less milk. But at least it IS still milk. And not that strange stuff tasting like hay and barns.
I know, because I can always detect when something is wrong with the milk I'm drinking.
Grass milk tastes much better, and is more full (also of vitamins). Skimmed milk also tastes bad. Like a protein shake or something strangely chemical.
And UHT-milk is the worst. Chemically, it is no milk anymore at all. It literally is a shake of water and completely destroyed molecules that once were proteins and vitamins.
The worst scam is the new "longer fresh" milk. It's essentially re-labeled UHT milk, heated with a new method. It still tastes like crap, but they can sell it at the price of fresh milk. (Who should be cheaper, because it does not need to be processed that much.)
So by selling hay milk of those extreme milk machines who should not called "cows" anymore, they are essentially scamming people in a criminal way, and should be thrown into prison, for endangering the health of millions, and cheating them out of their hard earned money, bug selling them the equivalent of glass pearls.
One GIANT Whooooosh!!!
For the gain of an industry, not bigger than that of the industry of toilet seats or brushes, Internet utilities and places are forced to do, what is the job of the police and government, and additionally censor things.
Well, luckily, according to their own calculations, the RIAA has only 5-7 years more to live. :)
On another note, I am a bit happy that Rapidshare will be killed. It was a horrible step backward from modern systems like Gnutella. In terms of modernity, Rapidshare was here:
Rapidshare, FTP, alt.binary & Co. -> Napster & Co. -> BitTorrent & Co. -> eDonkey & Co. -> Gnutella, WinMX/NY & Co. -> Darknets & Co.
(Yes. BitTorrent also is a step backwards, because the search function is not inside the application, and you have to download little header files, instead of ed2k/magnet/etc. links, which makes it unnecessarily complicated.)
That's exactly what the Russians did. :D
Where does the profit come from, then it's free? Or is that the joke?
Well, it still is a verbosity joke.
I internally use a format that is derived from EBML. Matroska's internal generic binary markup format.
I simply added a mapping header, that maps tag names and parameter names to the tag ids.
That way I can easily convert, and edit the files, with any text editor, and transform from XML and back without any hassle at all.
It's just like ASCII is a mapping of numbers to characters. Just on one level higher.
It's nearly too simple an obvious. So I think it should be come a new standard. :)
No, you don't get, just how twisted those lawyers' minds are:
They thought, if their code can't be a illegal copy of ScummVM, then ScrummVM must be the illegal ones.
So they started, just like children, to say "No you are stupid and have stolen it from me!".
They seriously think they can act as if ScummVM reverse-engineered "their" oh-so-precious game so that Nintendo does not realize they broke a license with them too!
And they think that, because they are a big company, they can get trough with it.
Obviously they are stuck between a rock, and a hard place, and pretty much fucked either way. Essentially all because of Nintendo and that small sub-sub-contractor.
If I were Nintendo, I would lift the ban for open source games, and profit from it. But those managers have to much exaggerated egos, and think changing their minds would look weak. (When in fact, being so stiff, does make them look weak and stupid.)
If I were the EFF, I would sure Atari, and instantly call them up, and tell them, that this is not directed at them, but meant to be redirected to the real sourceos of this (The sub-sub-contractor and Nintendo.)
If I were Atari, I would then sue the sub-sub-contractor, to pay damages to the EFF, the ScummVM team, etc, and be out of it.
Then the EFF should lobby a bit at Nintendo, to show them, how much they can actually profit from allowing open source software on their console. (Explain to them how essential a community is for a game and a console, and quote right out of Jesse Schell's (chairman of the international game developers association) book, chapter 22.)
I agree, that a good set of defaults is the best thing a software can have. But most deveolpers are not thinking this to the end.
Defaults are the solution, for the perfect merger, of freedom, and simplicity (which is closely related to efficiency, but not the same, and often confused). That's why they are so important.
Two examples are Gnome and KDE, the old arch rival friends.
Gnome decided, that the most important part, is simplicity. But their developers thought, you could not reach this, without removing freedom. So they hard-coded options, which also saved them the time to implement the other options. But in the end it was a pointless loss of efficiency and freedom, because of laziness and that false dichotomy.
KDE decided, that freedom is the most important part. But their developers thought, you could not reach this, without removing simplicity. So they added every option and feature they could think of, which unfortunately killed it for users who just want to use it, and not do a thousand decisions every time they use something with an obvious default. In the end, this was pointless too, because of the loss of efficiency and simplicity, because of that same false dichotomy.
If you now think, that I show no respect for their hard efforts, to make a good desktop environment, you are wrong. I love their hard work, that they are doing entirely *for free*. So I can't make any demands anyway, and so can't you. But you can inspire them with your ideas for improvements!
And my idea here, is that you can have both. Without any losses. Freedom and simplicity.
Trough actually allowing choices, and implementing options. (I think you can do much better there, Gnome developers!)
And then choosing the absolute best defaults. These are the defaults that are determined by the usage patters of your user base. And nothing else. (I think you both can do better there, KDE and Gnome developers!)
And then there is a second level of defaults. Those of the specific user.
The idea is that you only change the things, where your preferences differ from the usual. Of the user base. And of your own usual usage.
Apart from that, those choices and options have to be completely out of the view and not disturb you in any way (I think you can do much better there, KDE developers!), but be available in the blink of an eye.
And finally, to perfect it, and actually make a step beyond the basics that are know for decades, offer a hierarchic set of presets.
On the fist level, offer people to download and activate one of many presets for the whole of KDE or Gnome, on installation. And let them make their own.
On the second level, offer a choice and the creation of presets for specific applications and application groups. Just by having a preset on-line browser on the first start, and giving you an export and publish function for your configuration state.
Those global presets could be created out of those specific presets, by bundling them.
That way, a designer could choose the (in)official "Designer" master preset, but the "Kenny's DVD authoring presets" group, for the burning and video applications. And then only have to set one single option, to reach his state of perfection, in terms of efficiency without playing with that thing all day long, just to be able to use it like he wants.
As a final thought, I hope at least someone will be inspired by this.
Remember that I wrote this, to improve the state. Not to to slam anyone. So I also hope that I'm not misunderstood.
Oops. The "UDSSR" is a German-only abbreviation for the Soviet Union. I forgot that. Sorry.