I don't need a play button that's NEARLY as big as QT Player's is. Couple that with the size of the other buttons, and you no longer have to wonder why the player window has to remain so friggin' large when you play a small movie.
Intiutive? Clicking the timecode in the window to get to balance, treble, and bass controls is/not/ intuitive at all. If it were consistent, at least, it would reverse itself to time remaining rather than time elapsed.
You can accomplish all of the things you do with 6.2's Player with the embedded QT pane you see in Web browser windows when you load a QT movie or MPEG or whatever. All that's missing are the first and last frame buttons, and I'm sure a little creativity will come up with a way to include them.
I agree with a good deal of what you've said, but I have several major complaints (this IS Slashdot, after all):
2. Column view still lacks sorting by anything other than 'name' in column view. I would suggest adding sorting options via a contextual menu.
No. You should never have settings or options available only via contextual menus, which a TON of users never even see. If they're in a contextual menu, find a place elsewhere for them, as well.
3. Fonts, HTML, EPS and any file handled by quicktime should be previewable right in the finder.
I don't agree with this, either. Perhaps QuickTime, but why everything else? Why not let the Finder do what everyone has bitched about the Finder being bad at since the beginning of OS X, and be a good navigation tool? (I like Jag's Finder, but nothing is ever perfect.) Concentrate on making the Finder let you find shit first and foremost. It doesn't need to be a Swiss Army Knife, it just needs to pass font files to the FontBookThingy app. Bing, done.
4. Contextual menus need to be smarter. For example if I click on a font or a saver file I should be able to send it to it's proper folder.
Same thing as the first point. Contextual menus should only provide a convenient grouping of commonly used commands that pertain to the object you've clicked on to generate the contextual menu you're looking at.
This may also confuse more people, since you have your font folder and the system's font folder. How do you distinguish between the difference(s) for the average (non-geek) user?
6. Finder windows still take up too much screen real estate. If apple used small scrollbars it would save a significant # of pixels per window.
The scroll bars and window title bars are the same size in OS X and OS 9. For example, the window title bars are 22 pixels tall in both 9 and X.
11. The admin should be able to control what kind of finder window a user sees and they should be able to control which drives/folders are available within the finder window.
Hmm . . . I agree with the second half of that, as long as you're not restricting items in someone's home folder (duh), but that first part is an interesting point. Should a user be forced to see certain styles of windows for different folders? I dunno.
Perhaps only if the admin couldn't screw with the window of a folder that belonged to them. I think that's how Jaguar does it, but I'm really not sure.
12. A new (better) folder design would be appreciated.
What's wrong with the current folder icon? Get a system icon replacement thingie from ResExcellence or wherever.
13. There should be an option to turn disk images into folders (this is what users normally want to do with downloaded images).
Apple does something similar with "Internet-enabled disk images". I think they're shitty, though, since I can't look at a.dmg file and tell that it's going to delete itself once I double-click it. Some of us like to back up the things we download, and self-trashing.dmgs totally screw that up.
1. Exposé is fantastic, but it still does not solve the problem of minimized windows (it does not show windows minimized to the dock although it probably should). While minimized windows will be used less often when users get the hang of Exposé, there is still a need for some sort of windowshading that allows for speedy one or two click window swapping. I personally miss having windowshade from OS 9 and had a haxie installed to add this behavior. Even better is minimize-in-place hack from unsanity which recently became available. I have found shading invaluable in production. The standard OS X minimize/maximize simply takes too long to swap between windows and windows get lost in the dock. Also exposé, does not solve the problem of window clutter (many of our designers are clean desktop sort of people), while some s
It was supposed to be for apps that emulate or interface with real-world devices.
But you know, the Human Interface Guidelines are just that--guidelines. They aren't scripture.
Then again, where are we without rules to follow? UI consistency is worth the effort, right?
I find these both interesting ideas, not really subscribing to the HIG as the Bible and not really seeing them as something to look at but not pay attention to.
If you'd bother to understand that site at all, you'd realize that the Web site for the SOURCE CODE is intended for people who are COMFORTABLE COMPILING SOURCE CODE. Raw Darwin isn't for Mom and Pop User.
Go tell that to Mom and Pop over at the Compaq they bought from Wal-Mart.
They don't want to care about what codecs to use, what Linux distro they're running, or anything else.
Here's something to think about: I went to the GnomeMeeting site and the most obvious, biggest thing I found in the FAQ about installation was a massive list of commands to type to build and configure it. Go to Apple or MS's sites, and you see nothing of the sort.
This article wasn't targeted toward the vast, vast majority of MSNMessenger and iChat users.
Not everyone has apt-get installed. If they do, you provide a two-sentence tutorial on how to use it and why you're going into a fucking command-line in the first place.
If not, you have to tell them how to install apt-get to use your oh-so-simple instructions.
Bottom line: This article was targeted toward people who couldn't give a rat's ass about what to/type at a command-line prompt./
You've conveniently left out the fact that the 640x480 video stream you get from iChat, doubled with the nice audio quality, is better than GnomeMeeting's.
Oh, I totally agree. I just wanted to point out that users should know how important it is to back up their important data. Perhaps I overemphasized that a little. My bad.:-)
"Installation of Gnomemeeting is easy once you have the right version for your specific distribution of Linux! Here at PowerPage, we followed the simple directions:
4. Software installation 4.1. Which libraries do I need to run it?
You will need:
* the standard Gnome libraries (they are now optional in recent GnomeMeeting versions, but we recommend using them to have the full-featured GnomeMeeting).
* the OpenH323 and the PWlib libraries (See download section of this website).
* the OpenLDAP library (Included in your distribution)
* the SDL library (Included in your distribution). Having SDL is optional, but if you compile GnomeMeeting without SDL, the fullscreen feature will be unavailable.
* the Quicknet telephony development files (Provided with your kernel). Having those files is optional, but if you compile GnomeMeeting without Quicknet support, it will be impossible to use Quicknet hardware during calls.
4.2. How can I compile GnomeMeeting?
Simply use the binaries from your distribution, the ones in the downloads section, or compile that way:
As root, follow the steps: 4.2.1. Compile PWlib
You have to compile PWlib that way:
$./configure --prefix=/usr $ make optshared $ make install
If you want to compile Firewire support into PWlib, you have to pass either the --enable-firewiredc or --enable-firewireavc to the configure script. Notice that executing the configure script will generate a ptbuildopts.h file that will be placed in the include/ subdirectory of the pwlib sources. If you want to benefit from the callto URLs, P_LDAP must be defined and set to 1 in that file. Similarly, P_HAS_IPV6 must be defined and set to 1 if you want to be able to use IPv6 with GnomeMeeting. 4.2.2. Compile OpenH323
You have to compile OpenH323 that way:
$./configure --prefix=/usr $ make optshared $ make install
If you have any problem, please have a look at openh323 FAQ. You can also mail the GnomeMeeting mailing list. 4.2.3. Compile Gnomemeeting
Download it in the download section of the GnomeMeeting websit.
run the./configure script, it supports several parameters:
--prefix=/usr to install it in/usr
--with-ptlib-includes= specifies the location of PTlib headers (for example,/opt/pwlib/include/ptlib if you extracted PWlib in/opt, default is/usr/include/ptlib)
--with-openh323-includes= specifies the location of OpenH323 headers
If OpenH323 and PWlib are correctly installed (both the libraries and the headers), we suggest you to compile GnomeMeeting that way:
$./configure --prefix=/usr --sysconfdir=/etc $ make $ make install
We at the PowerPage were disappointed to see the installation instructions for iChat and MSN Messenger 6:
1. Download iChat if you're using OS X; download MSN Messenger 6 if you're using Windows.
2. Double-click the file you downloaded and click the 'install' button to begin the installation.
3. Double-click the program's icon to run it and sign on."
Give me a break. If they would have compared Gnomemeeting, it would have been trounced. Why? Because this wasn't an article geared toward people who like--or even know/how/--to compile programs and configure things from the command-line.
There goes another Slashdotter who just doesn't understand which software is geared toward which people. We don't/all/ like./make and./configure, dude. Sometimes, people just want shit to work.
Second: Whom do the users call when they delete their important files? NO ONE, because the admin should be teaching the virtues of BACKING UP YOUR SHIT ON A REGULAR BASIS. Yes, the server should have a backup if it's remotely important, but the users should have their own copies, too. If the school burns to the ground, the users can't complain.
I'm not saying a user has to back up/everything/ in his or her user folder. I/am/ saying that the most important files should be on a CD or something in the user's desk drawer. It's only good backup practice.
It's not just a "graphics computer". It ships with Apache, and makes for a badass Web server. It IS however, serious overkill.
It is easy to set up, yes, but you can get command-line geeky if you want to.
There's still no shipping date for the G5s ("on or before Sept 1" isn't a shipping date, I say), so I wouldn't consider it a serious option for this guy's club.
In the end, a G5 is big-fricking-time overkill for a small Web server and listserv/e-mail server. Grab a cheap ~1-GHz Pentium or AMD box, toss a Linux distro on it, and go to town. If you wanted to go Apple--which it doesn't sound like he does--the G4s are coming down in price big time now that the G5 is on the Apple Store site. BSD and a great GUI.
I don't mean to MS-bash here--even if this/is/ Slashdot--but these are ass-fugly timepieces. That, plus really crappy ad mock-ups, equals/not/ "stylish".
Remind me again why we need a watch that does twenty million things? I was fine when my watch just told me what time it was.
I know your post was meant to be funny, but it brings up a point:
So what? If more computer products benefit, don't we all? Anything that makes Outlook better is good in my book. Perhaps this will eliminate some virus-and-worm-carrying spam--and that's good for/all/ of us on teh intarweb.;-)
If I want a high-performance Web server, I'm going to use Apache. Since I'm using Apache, I'm going to be using something from the Unix/Linux world. If I need or want really badass administration tools and a good GUI, I'll grab an Xserve, which runs Jaguar Server. If all I really need is a headless box that serves up some pages, I'll build a Linux box for less than my six-month car insurance rate.
If I want to do some heavy video editing, I might consider a strong G4 or a G5. Final Cut Pro is excellent.
Games? I'll build a cheap Windows box. (Or buy a console.)
That's not saying that's all they're good for, but like with anything, there's an appropriate tool for a particular job.
Slashdot Mirror
So tell me why, when I downloaded Adobe Reader 6's .dmg, and double-clicked it, it installed itself and vanished.
/all/ playing nice.
They're not
I don't need a play button that's NEARLY as big as QT Player's is. Couple that with the size of the other buttons, and you no longer have to wonder why the player window has to remain so friggin' large when you play a small movie.
/not/ intuitive at all. If it were consistent, at least, it would reverse itself to time remaining rather than time elapsed.
Intiutive? Clicking the timecode in the window to get to balance, treble, and bass controls is
You can accomplish all of the things you do with 6.2's Player with the embedded QT pane you see in Web browser windows when you load a QT movie or MPEG or whatever. All that's missing are the first and last frame buttons, and I'm sure a little creativity will come up with a way to include them.
I agree with a good deal of what you've said, but I have several major complaints (this IS Slashdot, after all):
2. Column view still lacks sorting by anything other than 'name' in column view. I would suggest adding sorting options via a contextual menu.
No. You should never have settings or options available only via contextual menus, which a TON of users never even see. If they're in a contextual menu, find a place elsewhere for them, as well.
3. Fonts, HTML, EPS and any file handled by quicktime should be previewable right in the finder.
I don't agree with this, either. Perhaps QuickTime, but why everything else? Why not let the Finder do what everyone has bitched about the Finder being bad at since the beginning of OS X, and be a good navigation tool? (I like Jag's Finder, but nothing is ever perfect.) Concentrate on making the Finder let you find shit first and foremost. It doesn't need to be a Swiss Army Knife, it just needs to pass font files to the FontBookThingy app. Bing, done.
4. Contextual menus need to be smarter. For example if I click on a font or a saver file I should be able to send it to it's proper folder.
Same thing as the first point. Contextual menus should only provide a convenient grouping of commonly used commands that pertain to the object you've clicked on to generate the contextual menu you're looking at.
This may also confuse more people, since you have your font folder and the system's font folder. How do you distinguish between the difference(s) for the average (non-geek) user?
6. Finder windows still take up too much screen real estate. If apple used small scrollbars it would save a significant # of pixels per window.
The scroll bars and window title bars are the same size in OS X and OS 9. For example, the window title bars are 22 pixels tall in both 9 and X.
11. The admin should be able to control what kind of finder window a user sees and they should be able to control which drives/folders are available within the finder window.
Hmm . . . I agree with the second half of that, as long as you're not restricting items in someone's home folder (duh), but that first part is an interesting point. Should a user be forced to see certain styles of windows for different folders? I dunno.
Perhaps only if the admin couldn't screw with the window of a folder that belonged to them. I think that's how Jaguar does it, but I'm really not sure.
12. A new (better) folder design would be appreciated.
What's wrong with the current folder icon? Get a system icon replacement thingie from ResExcellence or wherever.
13. There should be an option to turn disk images into folders (this is what users normally want to do with downloaded images).
Apple does something similar with "Internet-enabled disk images". I think they're shitty, though, since I can't look at a .dmg file and tell that it's going to delete itself once I double-click it. Some of us like to back up the things we download, and self-trashing .dmgs totally screw that up.
1. Exposé is fantastic, but it still does not solve the problem of minimized windows (it does not show windows minimized to the dock although it probably should). While minimized windows will be used less often when users get the hang of Exposé, there is still a need for some sort of windowshading that allows for speedy one or two click window swapping. I personally miss having windowshade from OS 9 and had a haxie installed to add this behavior. Even better is minimize-in-place hack from unsanity which recently became available. I have found shading invaluable in production. The standard OS X minimize/maximize simply takes too long to swap between windows and windows get lost in the dock. Also exposé, does not solve the problem of window clutter (many of our designers are clean desktop sort of people), while some s
Give me a break. I love OS X as much as the next guy, but QuickTime Player hasn't gotten better.
The volume control is a slider again, but the player's UI still eats ass.
Did anyone else snicker at "penetration testing"?
No, I have no class.
Pretty pictures are better than white, monospaced error text on a big blue background. ;-)
It was supposed to be for apps that emulate or interface with real-world devices.
:-)
But you know, the Human Interface Guidelines are just that--guidelines. They aren't scripture.
Then again, where are we without rules to follow? UI consistency is worth the effort, right?
I find these both interesting ideas, not really subscribing to the HIG as the Bible and not really seeing them as something to look at but not pay attention to.
Thoughts?
This "Service Pack chimp" runs Mac OS X and uses Fink and X11 on a regular basis.
You were saying? Asshat ACs.
There are at least five comments in this thread that are, essentially:
/see/ a command line. This article--
"Use apt-get."
Well, since no one's listening to me, I'll say it yet again:
Mom and Pop User don't want to
*deep breath, after having said it a hundred times*
Was not geared toward software that requires you to even think about opening up a shell and knowing what the hell a package manager is.
bwaahahhahahahahasnadghjkawfg827evgwbdfv
/Awesome./
;-D
:-))
I point out iChat's video and audio superiority, and two people mod me down as a troll.
It's easy to have lower system requirements when your stuff doesn't look or sound as nice.
(I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Don't take it personally.
If you'd bother to understand that site at all, you'd realize that the Web site for the SOURCE CODE is intended for people who are COMFORTABLE COMPILING SOURCE CODE. Raw Darwin isn't for Mom and Pop User.
Really?
http://developer.apple.com/darwin/
Lack of source code my ass. iChat might not be open-source, but the entire core of the OS is.
Go tell that to Mom and Pop over at the Compaq they bought from Wal-Mart.
They don't want to care about what codecs to use, what Linux distro they're running, or anything else.
Here's something to think about: I went to the GnomeMeeting site and the most obvious, biggest thing I found in the FAQ about installation was a massive list of commands to type to build and configure it. Go to Apple or MS's sites, and you see nothing of the sort.
This article wasn't targeted toward the vast, vast majority of MSNMessenger and iChat users.
Not everyone has apt-get installed. If they do, you provide a two-sentence tutorial on how to use it and why you're going into a fucking command-line in the first place.
/type at a command-line prompt./
If not, you have to tell them how to install apt-get to use your oh-so-simple instructions.
Bottom line: This article was targeted toward people who couldn't give a rat's ass about what to
You've conveniently left out the fact that the 640x480 video stream you get from iChat, doubled with the nice audio quality, is better than GnomeMeeting's.
Oh, I totally agree. I just wanted to point out that users should know how important it is to back up their important data. Perhaps I overemphasized that a little. My bad. :-)
Right:
:
:
./configure --prefix=/usr
./configure --prefix=/usr
./configure script, it supports several parameters:
/usr
/opt, default is /usr/include/ptlib)
./configure --prefix=/usr --sysconfdir=/etc
/how/--to compile programs and configure things from the command-line.
/all/ like ./make and ./configure, dude. Sometimes, people just want shit to work.
"Installation of Gnomemeeting is easy once you have the right version for your specific distribution of Linux! Here at PowerPage, we followed the simple directions:
4. Software installation
4.1. Which libraries do I need to run it?
You will need
* the standard Gnome libraries (they are now optional in recent GnomeMeeting versions, but we recommend using them to have the full-featured GnomeMeeting).
* the OpenH323 and the PWlib libraries (See download section of this website).
* the OpenLDAP library (Included in your distribution)
* the SDL library (Included in your distribution). Having SDL is optional, but if you compile GnomeMeeting without SDL, the fullscreen feature will be unavailable.
* the Quicknet telephony development files (Provided with your kernel). Having those files is optional, but if you compile GnomeMeeting without Quicknet support, it will be impossible to use Quicknet hardware during calls.
4.2. How can I compile GnomeMeeting?
Simply use the binaries from your distribution, the ones in the downloads section, or compile that way:
As root, follow the steps
4.2.1. Compile PWlib
You have to compile PWlib that way:
$
$ make optshared
$ make install
If you want to compile Firewire support into PWlib, you have to pass either the --enable-firewiredc or --enable-firewireavc to the configure script. Notice that executing the configure script will generate a ptbuildopts.h file that will be placed in the include/ subdirectory of the pwlib sources. If you want to benefit from the callto URLs, P_LDAP must be defined and set to 1 in that file. Similarly, P_HAS_IPV6 must be defined and set to 1 if you want to be able to use IPv6 with GnomeMeeting.
4.2.2. Compile OpenH323
You have to compile OpenH323 that way:
$
$ make optshared
$ make install
If you have any problem, please have a look at openh323 FAQ. You can also mail the GnomeMeeting mailing list.
4.2.3. Compile Gnomemeeting
Download it in the download section of the GnomeMeeting websit.
run the
--prefix=/usr to install it in
--with-ptlib-includes= specifies the location of PTlib headers (for example,/opt/pwlib/include/ptlib if you extracted PWlib in
--with-openh323-includes= specifies the location of OpenH323 headers
If OpenH323 and PWlib are correctly installed (both the libraries and the headers), we suggest you to compile GnomeMeeting that way:
$
$ make
$ make install
We at the PowerPage were disappointed to see the installation instructions for iChat and MSN Messenger 6:
1. Download iChat if you're using OS X; download MSN Messenger 6 if you're using Windows.
2. Double-click the file you downloaded and click the 'install' button to begin the installation.
3. Double-click the program's icon to run it and sign on."
Give me a break. If they would have compared Gnomemeeting, it would have been trounced. Why? Because this wasn't an article geared toward people who like--or even know
There goes another Slashdotter who just doesn't understand which software is geared toward which people. We don't
In Soviet Redmond, officially signed Linux bootloader releases YOU!
...
There goes some karma
First: Stop bitching at this kid about RAID.
/everything/ in his or her user folder. I /am/ saying that the most important files should be on a CD or something in the user's desk drawer. It's only good backup practice.
Second: Whom do the users call when they delete their important files? NO ONE, because the admin should be teaching the virtues of BACKING UP YOUR SHIT ON A REGULAR BASIS. Yes, the server should have a backup if it's remotely important, but the users should have their own copies, too. If the school burns to the ground, the users can't complain.
I'm not saying a user has to back up
My dual shiny, copper discs.
It's not just a "graphics computer". It ships with Apache, and makes for a badass Web server. It IS however, serious overkill.
... /Still/ overkill, I'd say.
It is easy to set up, yes, but you can get command-line geeky if you want to.
There's still no shipping date for the G5s ("on or before Sept 1" isn't a shipping date, I say), so I wouldn't consider it a serious option for this guy's club.
In the end, a G5 is big-fricking-time overkill for a small Web server and listserv/e-mail server. Grab a cheap ~1-GHz Pentium or AMD box, toss a Linux distro on it, and go to town. If you wanted to go Apple--which it doesn't sound like he does--the G4s are coming down in price big time now that the G5 is on the Apple Store site. BSD and a great GUI.
But a dual 1.25 G4
I don't mean to MS-bash here--even if this /is/ Slashdot--but these are ass-fugly timepieces. That, plus really crappy ad mock-ups, equals /not/ "stylish".
Remind me again why we need a watch that does twenty million things? I was fine when my watch just told me what time it was.
I know your post was meant to be funny, but it brings up a point:
/all/ of us on teh intarweb. ;-)
So what? If more computer products benefit, don't we all? Anything that makes Outlook better is good in my book. Perhaps this will eliminate some virus-and-worm-carrying spam--and that's good for
Yes, the right tool for the right job.
If I want a high-performance Web server, I'm going to use Apache. Since I'm using Apache, I'm going to be using something from the Unix/Linux world. If I need or want really badass administration tools and a good GUI, I'll grab an Xserve, which runs Jaguar Server. If all I really need is a headless box that serves up some pages, I'll build a Linux box for less than my six-month car insurance rate.
If I want to do some heavy video editing, I might consider a strong G4 or a G5. Final Cut Pro is excellent.
Games? I'll build a cheap Windows box. (Or buy a console.)
That's not saying that's all they're good for, but like with anything, there's an appropriate tool for a particular job.
What moderator modded this guy up?
He is NOT from Nintendo, guys. Go look at his thread history.
KaZaA to media organizations:
"Either get in business with us or we'll continue making it dirt-easy to steal your content."
See also:
http://www.bartleby.com/61/87/E0298700.html