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This is the problem -- the argument about 'settings' has become about whether there should be a preference pane, whether there should be an "advanced preference
by Qz 16y ago
This is the problem -- the argument about 'settings' has become about whether there should be a preference pane, whether there should be an "advanced preferences" pane, etc.
Settings aren't the problem. Preference panes are the problem. If you back the ability to customize something (aka toggle a setting) into the thing that needs customizing, then preference panes disappear, and the interface becomes inherently customizable.
Consider the window. Imagine if the x/y/w/h of every window was hidden in a preference pane! No one would use windows, because thats a terrible interface. The solution is to bake the customizability into the interface -- allow users to drag windows around, or resize them by dragging the edges (or corners if you're on a mac, etc.).
The next time you think about adding something to a preference pane, either find a way to bake it into the UI or forget it.
- loewenskind 16y agoSo for your mail client you bake all those little mailbox settings into the UI somehow, even though it's mostly a "set and forget" kind of thing?
- generalk 16y agoYeah, you do. I want to enable secure outgoing email. Which is better: "Click the Accounts menu, then Mailboxes, click the mail account you want, click the Outgoing tab, scroll to SMTP Advanced Settings, and Enable TLS/SSL" or "Click the i icon next to the mailbox name, or right-click and select Settings. Scroll down to Outgoing Mail, and check the SSL/TLS option." The first option is vestigial, from an age where pull-down menus and dialogs were marked improvements over text-based config files nobody but us understood. The second option directly links the item with the controlling settings for that item, but will hopefully also one day be vestigial when we figure out something better.
- loewenskind 16y agoOk, fair point. The thing that changes what the little picture does should be closer to the picture. I can agree with that.