4 ms·

I once worked as a telephone switchboard operator. I used a text user interface based system, with a monochrome green CRT and a high quality keyboard with dedic

by mrob 11y ago

I once worked as a telephone switchboard operator. I used a text user interface based system, with a monochrome green CRT and a high quality keyboard with dedicated keys for all the interface functions. The 80x24 text was clear and easy to read. Everything was extremely fast and reliable, with no perceptible interface pauses ever. I later briefly worked there again after they had "upgraded" to a modern system. This ran a GUI on Windows on commodity hardware. The text was smaller and harder to read (on an early LCD monitor). Not all functions had keyboard shortcuts, and the keyboard itself felt worse. The interface noticeably paused sometimes. The new system was an obvious downgrade, and the build quality of the old one was high enough that I'd expect it to have at least another 10 years of life. I can only guess that management saw the green CRT, assumed it was unacceptably primitive, and didn't bother asking the people who actually used it.

zdw 11y ago
Similarly, when Bank ATM's switched from character only green screens with buttons on the side as the interface to full color "GUI" ones with touchscreens, the delays and speed at which you could run the interface went down dramatically, which was quite frustrating if you were used to the old system. Thankfully, the newer touchscreen interfaces are much faster than before - the delays between selections went down. The touchscreens still stink from a UI perspective - too many elements too close to each other, where inadvertent touches can result in unwanted behavior.
- fluxquanta 11y ago
  ATM software is an example of something that really is becoming needlessly over-engineered. For example, a week or so ago I encountered an ATM that prompted me for my e-mail address to e-mail a receipt (or, as smaller, secondary options, buttons for printing a receipt or declining a receipt all together). It really rubbed me the wrong way. Who is trying to collect my e-mail address? How are they storing it? What else will they use it for? Why is this the default option?

by mrob 11y ago

zdw 11y ago

Similarly, when Bank ATM's switched from character only green screens with buttons on the side as the interface to full color "GUI" ones with touchscreens, the delays and speed at which you could run the interface went down dramatically, which was quite frustrating if you were used to the old system. Thankfully, the newer touchscreen interfaces are much faster than before - the delays between selections went down. The touchscreens still stink from a UI perspective - too many elements too close to each other, where inadvertent touches can result in unwanted behavior.

fluxquanta 11y ago
ATM software is an example of something that really is becoming needlessly over-engineered. For example, a week or so ago I encountered an ATM that prompted me for my e-mail address to e-mail a receipt (or, as smaller, secondary options, buttons for printing a receipt or declining a receipt all together). It really rubbed me the wrong way. Who is trying to collect my e-mail address? How are they storing it? What else will they use it for? Why is this the default option?