Article View: comp.sys.mac
Article #20293Re: Poor Mac Design Philosophy
From: Andrew V Jewell
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1987 13:17
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1987 13:17
45 lines
2202 bytes
2202 bytes
In article <2991@husc6.UUCP> singer@endor.UUCP (Richard Siegel) writes:
>In article <2514@cvl.umd.edu> avjewe@cvl.UUCP (Andrew V Jewell) writes:
>>
>>The finder has a SPECIAL menu right?
>>So, why doesn't it include items like
>> REBUILD DESKTOP
>>and
>> RESET PARAMETER RAM
and the many other functions currently accessed in non-intuitive ways.
>
> Because special system-level functions like that are functions
>that are only needed in specific conditions, i.e. when the Desktop file
>gets trashed or when the Parameter RAM gets corrupted
Empty folppies with 15K in them need the desktop rebuilt to recover 8K
Sometimes (esp. on a hard disk) the Finder fails to import a file's icon, or
doesn't add an application to the list (for double-clicking a document)
Rebuilding the DeskTop fixes this too.
> I realize that for a Mac Hacker these functions are handy, but for
>a novice user they would be only confusing and somewhat threatening.
I thought the point of menus was to include just about everything that the
application can do, so that a novice user can see whats available without
acting on it.
>>easier to document
> Easier to document than WHAT?
There is always a section for a description of each menu item, the author
knows where to put it and the user knows where to look.
Arcane key-combinations are often hidden within descriptions of other things.
>>and N times more mac-like
> Again, more Mac-Like than what?
A simple interface, where all operations can be accessed in a consistent
fashion (eg menus).
>> Andy Jewell
> --Ric qn whabelievblemsthis aB
Technical Details
Message-ID:
<2515@cvl.umd.edu>Path:
arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!cvl!avjeweReferences:
<2514@cvl.umd.edu> <2991@husc6.UUCP>Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!cvl!avjewe From: avjewe@cvl.umd.edu (Andrew V Jewell) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Poor Mac Design Philosophy Message-ID: <2515@cvl.umd.edu> Date: Wed, 14-Oct-87 09:17:18 EDT Article-I.D.: cvl.2515 Posted: Wed Oct 14 09:17:18 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 16-Oct-87 00:44:36 EDT References: <2514@cvl.umd.edu> <2991@husc6.UUCP> Reply-To: avjewe@cvl.UUCP (Andrew V Jewell) Organization: Center for Automation Research, Univ. of Md. Lines: 46