4 ms·

Ronco Spray-On Usability (2004)

12 points by ksvs 18y ago

Hates_ 18y ago
An oldie, but a goodie.
asdflkj 18y ago
But do you doubt for a moment that Longhorn will provide more improvements from Windows XP than desktop Linux will gain during the same period? Wouldn't have been an unreasonable doubt, in retrospect.
- aston 18y ago
  Har har, but Vista actually changed a number of fundamental things about XP, including a totally new security model, an overhaul of the graphics system to move it out of the kernel, and a ton of new performance optimizations like SuperFetch. What's changed so much about desktop Linux in the same time? Compiz?
  - rincewind 18y ago
    You ask whats changed about "desktop Linux". How is the new graphics system an advantage for users of "desktop Windows"? The problem with this discussion is the choice Linux users have. You can always say Linux has a poor user experience by referring to the software for Linux you hate most. On the other hand Linux users can say: "it is just an operating system" or "you picked the wrong distro" or "don't use fluxbox/emacs/the command line/compiz if you don't like it". You can not not campare apples to oranges when you compare any subset of the GNU/Linux software ecosystem to windows. That being said, the security model in Vista annoys the hell out of everybody I know who uses Vista. Everytime they interact with this new security model, it interrupts their workflow and makes them a little bit frustrated and angry, quite like a fnord.
  - jauco 18y ago
    XP was released in 2001, Let's just remind ourselves that the first ubuntu came out in 2004. A _lot_ has changed since the linux of 2001. Including the graphical system (compiz, released 2006) everything in the 2.6 kernel (released 2003) the hardware abstraction layer/project utopia (somewhere around 2003), a new sound system, pulsaudio (2004). And if you take into acount that the start of windows vista's coding cycle lay before the release of windows XP, you might want to include the gstreamer media framework. They've come a long way. P.S. They never bothered to reimplement the security model. Though some improved models have been available since before 2001.
pchristensen 18y ago
Good article with a lot of good points, but I was put off by this quote: "[UI Design] is not something every programmer can learn. Most programmers don’t have any aptitude for UI design whatsoever. It’s an art, and like any art, it requires innate ability. You can learn to be a better writer. You can learn to be a better illustrator. But most people can’t write and can’t draw, and no amount of practice or education is going to make them good at it. Improved, yes; good, no." I get his point, but saying that everyone who isn't a natural {writer, illustrator, programmer, UI designer} will never be good is a slap in the face to everyone who's ever worked hard enough to get good at something (including the naturals). I think the "naturals" are the people who care enough to work, practice, think, and generally dedicate themself to becoming great.
- iron_ball 18y ago
  More to the point, the existing UX knowledge out there is so trifling, so paltry, so embarassingly miniscule, that even mere "improvement" could represent a thousandfold boon to the consumer.
  - pchristensen 18y ago
    Exactly. Read Tufte's 4 books, or just Don't Make Me Think, or just read Joel of pg's stuff about usability, and you've gone from extremely shty to mediocre, but you're ahead of 80-85% of everyone else. Throw in a little about typography and color, and you're probably ahead of 95% of developers. You might not be the greatest in the world, but the state of the industry is so bad that you'll have a huge relative advantage.
- puns 18y ago
  I agree — I this what Gruber says is partly right. What you need is a desire to learn and love your craft. People who are passionate about UI design will be able to learn and develop great great interfaces. Those with no UI design talents and no motivation to learn will not. This very drive and passion is mostly innate — you can't really learn to love something (yeah, taste can be acquired, but here you need real passion)

12 points by ksvs 18y ago

An oldie, but a goodie.

But do you doubt for a moment that Longhorn will provide more improvements from Windows XP than desktop Linux will gain during the same period? Wouldn't have been an unreasonable doubt, in retrospect.

aston 18y ago
Har har, but Vista actually changed a number of fundamental things about XP, including a totally new security model, an overhaul of the graphics system to move it out of the kernel, and a ton of new performance optimizations like SuperFetch. What's changed so much about desktop Linux in the same time? Compiz?
- rincewind 18y ago
  You ask whats changed about "desktop Linux". How is the new graphics system an advantage for users of "desktop Windows"? The problem with this discussion is the choice Linux users have. You can always say Linux has a poor user experience by referring to the software for Linux you hate most. On the other hand Linux users can say: "it is just an operating system" or "you picked the wrong distro" or "don't use fluxbox/emacs/the command line/compiz if you don't like it". You can not not campare apples to oranges when you compare any subset of the GNU/Linux software ecosystem to windows. That being said, the security model in Vista annoys the hell out of everybody I know who uses Vista. Everytime they interact with this new security model, it interrupts their workflow and makes them a little bit frustrated and angry, quite like a fnord.
- jauco 18y ago
  XP was released in 2001, Let's just remind ourselves that the first ubuntu came out in 2004. A _lot_ has changed since the linux of 2001. Including the graphical system (compiz, released 2006) everything in the 2.6 kernel (released 2003) the hardware abstraction layer/project utopia (somewhere around 2003), a new sound system, pulsaudio (2004). And if you take into acount that the start of windows vista's coding cycle lay before the release of windows XP, you might want to include the gstreamer media framework. They've come a long way. P.S. They never bothered to reimplement the security model. Though some improved models have been available since before 2001.

pchristensen 18y ago

Good article with a lot of good points, but I was put off by this quote: "[UI Design] is not something every programmer can learn. Most programmers don’t have any aptitude for UI design whatsoever. It’s an art, and like any art, it requires innate ability. You can learn to be a better writer. You can learn to be a better illustrator. But most people can’t write and can’t draw, and no amount of practice or education is going to make them good at it. Improved, yes; good, no." I get his point, but saying that everyone who isn't a natural {writer, illustrator, programmer, UI designer} will never be good is a slap in the face to everyone who's ever worked hard enough to get good at something (including the naturals). I think the "naturals" are the people who care enough to work, practice, think, and generally dedicate themself to becoming great.

iron_ball 18y ago
More to the point, the existing UX knowledge out there is so trifling, so paltry, so embarassingly miniscule, that even mere "improvement" could represent a thousandfold boon to the consumer.
- pchristensen 18y ago
  Exactly. Read Tufte's 4 books, or just Don't Make Me Think, or just read Joel of pg's stuff about usability, and you've gone from extremely shty to mediocre, but you're ahead of 80-85% of everyone else. Throw in a little about typography and color, and you're probably ahead of 95% of developers. You might not be the greatest in the world, but the state of the industry is so bad that you'll have a huge relative advantage.
puns 18y ago
I agree — I this what Gruber says is partly right. What you need is a desire to learn and love your craft. People who are passionate about UI design will be able to learn and develop great great interfaces. Those with no UI design talents and no motivation to learn will not. This very drive and passion is mostly innate — you can't really learn to love something (yeah, taste can be acquired, but here you need real passion)