5 ms·

Calibre's UI is an artifact from a superior and more civilized time, IMHO Extremely functional and just a little bit incomprehensible. Compared to modern UI/UX

by tomc1985 6y ago

Calibre's UI is an artifact from a superior and more civilized time, IMHO Extremely functional and just a little bit incomprehensible. Compared to modern UI/UX which just slaps me with how stupid it thinks I am

colechristensen 6y ago
It reminds me a bit of something you would find running on solaris in the 90s.
paxys 6y ago
> Compared to modern UI/UX which just slaps me with how stupid it thinks I am Because most average users of any software absolutely fall in that bucket. My mom can use the Facebook app on her phone just fine, but I wouldn't even dare to suggest that she try to convert an eBook on Calibre and transfer it to her Kindle.
- cortesoft 6y ago
  Both things can be true - a person can prefer a more complicated and feature rich UX, while most people prefer a simpler UX that doesn't provide as much control.
  - jjeaff 6y ago
    You can definitely have a simple to use UI that still has all the same complex functionalities of an esoteric one. The more advanced features will just be more hidden away. To me, the only real advantage to an esoteric UI like calibre is the ability to do things faster and easier once you have learned it. But honestly, for that i prefer a CLI.
- TeMPOraL 6y ago
  And yet, Facebook app is actually more complex (and arguably, chaotic and ever changing) UI - but she handles it fine. So does everyone.
- totetsu 6y ago
  Im sure she could do it with detailed screenshots and instructions
- mitchdoogle 6y ago
  Can we have apps for smart people?
  - tomc1985 6y ago
    Yes, why did the world have to stop making apps for power users? Why can't both groups coexist?
    - TeMPOraL 6y ago
      Because the lifecycle of a modern startup is: - Deliver a minimum viable product, maximally optimized for signups ("growth") - Work on it until you can brag about a nice, consistent, exponential growth curve - If you haven't run out of money and burned by this point, you get acquired and win the startup lottery - The product gets shut down There's no place in this lifecycle to develop a product to its full potential.
  - dbtc 6y ago
    Sure, emacs or CLI?
    - tomc1985 6y ago
      Or Blender, or the GIMP, or FLStudio, or AutoCAD, or Visual Studio, or Lightroom (Classic), or Filezilla, or Photoshop, or or or or... And while you might think that the above obviates my argument, when was the last time something new came out? All the best software we have nowadays is old, designed before current standards
- pfranz 6y ago
  I earnestly think it's motivation and there's this societal pressure that software "is too hard." Just like your mom can use the Facebook app just fine. I have trouble using it, I'm worried anything I type into a box will turn into a public post with notifications going into everyone's inbox, and I've also mostly avoided it for over a decade. My grandmother over a decade ago figured out how to buy a webcam, install it, and use the software when grand kids were born.
Black101 6y ago
> Extremely functional and just a little bit incomprehensible. lol, that is what everyone should aim for (I'm not being sarcastic).
ehutch79 6y ago
spoiler; most users are stupider then that ui/ux thinks you are.

colechristensen 6y ago

It reminds me a bit of something you would find running on solaris in the 90s.

paxys 6y ago

> Compared to modern UI/UX which just slaps me with how stupid it thinks I am Because most average users of any software absolutely fall in that bucket. My mom can use the Facebook app on her phone just fine, but I wouldn't even dare to suggest that she try to convert an eBook on Calibre and transfer it to her Kindle.

cortesoft 6y ago
Both things can be true - a person can prefer a more complicated and feature rich UX, while most people prefer a simpler UX that doesn't provide as much control.
- jjeaff 6y ago
  You can definitely have a simple to use UI that still has all the same complex functionalities of an esoteric one. The more advanced features will just be more hidden away. To me, the only real advantage to an esoteric UI like calibre is the ability to do things faster and easier once you have learned it. But honestly, for that i prefer a CLI.
TeMPOraL 6y ago
And yet, Facebook app is actually more complex (and arguably, chaotic and ever changing) UI - but she handles it fine. So does everyone.
totetsu 6y ago
Im sure she could do it with detailed screenshots and instructions
mitchdoogle 6y ago
Can we have apps for smart people?
- tomc1985 6y ago
  Yes, why did the world have to stop making apps for power users? Why can't both groups coexist?
  - TeMPOraL 6y ago
    Because the lifecycle of a modern startup is: - Deliver a minimum viable product, maximally optimized for signups ("growth") - Work on it until you can brag about a nice, consistent, exponential growth curve - If you haven't run out of money and burned by this point, you get acquired and win the startup lottery - The product gets shut down There's no place in this lifecycle to develop a product to its full potential.
- dbtc 6y ago
  Sure, emacs or CLI?
  - tomc1985 6y ago
    Or Blender, or the GIMP, or FLStudio, or AutoCAD, or Visual Studio, or Lightroom (Classic), or Filezilla, or Photoshop, or or or or... And while you might think that the above obviates my argument, when was the last time something new came out? All the best software we have nowadays is old, designed before current standards
pfranz 6y ago
I earnestly think it's motivation and there's this societal pressure that software "is too hard." Just like your mom can use the Facebook app just fine. I have trouble using it, I'm worried anything I type into a box will turn into a public post with notifications going into everyone's inbox, and I've also mostly avoided it for over a decade. My grandmother over a decade ago figured out how to buy a webcam, install it, and use the software when grand kids were born.

Black101 6y ago

> Extremely functional and just a little bit incomprehensible. lol, that is what everyone should aim for (I'm not being sarcastic).

ehutch79 6y ago

spoiler; most users are stupider then that ui/ux thinks you are.