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I can no longer see a conversation about round rects without thinking of this fascinating story on developing the first Mac's drawing subsystem: "Rectangles wi

I can no longer see a conversation about round rects without thinking of this fascinating story on developing the first Mac's drawing subsystem: "Rectangles with rounded corners are everywhere! Just look around this room!". And sure enough, there were lots of them, like the whiteboard and some of the desks and tables. Then he pointed out the window. "And look outside, there's even more, practically everywhere you look!". He even persuaded Bill to take a quick walk around the block with him, pointing out every rectangle with rounded corners that he could find. When Steve and Bill passed a no-parking sign with rounded corners, it did the trick. "OK, I give up", Bill pleaded. "I'll see if it's as hard as I thought." http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Round_Rects_Are_Everywhere.txt http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Round_Rects_Are_E... Interesting example of Steve Jobs' leadership style that doesn't revolve around him being an asshole. Also, given how prevalent round rects were in classic Mac system software, surprising to consider they almost weren't possible on early systems. Amazing, the cleverness once required to create things we now take for granted.

jamesbritt 15y ago
Did they just ignore all the non-rounded rectangles around them? They're everywhere, too, and I fail to see how this does or does not argue for their use.
- ellyagg 15y ago
  It's simple if you think about it. Making rectangles with rounded corners takes work. You have to go out of your way. That so many craftsman, engineers, etc. did so is suggestive. Moreover, looking at a lot of rounded rectangles will have the same effect that the examples in the linked article did. You'll notice that objects with them are more appealing than their counterparts.
  - jamesbritt 15y ago
    That so many craftsman, engineers, etc. did so is suggestive. In many cases it suggests that leaving a sharp corner, such as on a table, would risk injury to some users. But in general, that something took extra work, says nothing about the rationale behind it. Maybe it's a way of showing off skills; I've certainly seen that in code , where the people did something the hard way for reasons other than "this is what is best for this situation." Moreover, looking at a lot of rounded rectangles will have the same effect that the examples in the linked article did. You'll notice that objects with them are more appealing than their counterparts. What I notice is that sometimes they are appropriate, sometimes not. They are not universally appealing. In many cases they give things an inappropriately childish (childlike?) feeling.
- mmahemoff 15y ago
  It does show that the world is not just sharp angles. Most UIs with round angles still include sharp angles too.
- mmahemoff 15y ago
  It does show that the world is not just sharp angles. Most UIs with round angles still include sharp angles too.

jamesbritt 15y ago

Did they just ignore all the non-rounded rectangles around them? They're everywhere, too, and I fail to see how this does or does not argue for their use.

ellyagg 15y ago
It's simple if you think about it. Making rectangles with rounded corners takes work. You have to go out of your way. That so many craftsman, engineers, etc. did so is suggestive. Moreover, looking at a lot of rounded rectangles will have the same effect that the examples in the linked article did. You'll notice that objects with them are more appealing than their counterparts.
- jamesbritt 15y ago
  That so many craftsman, engineers, etc. did so is suggestive. In many cases it suggests that leaving a sharp corner, such as on a table, would risk injury to some users. But in general, that something took extra work, says nothing about the rationale behind it. Maybe it's a way of showing off skills; I've certainly seen that in code , where the people did something the hard way for reasons other than "this is what is best for this situation." Moreover, looking at a lot of rounded rectangles will have the same effect that the examples in the linked article did. You'll notice that objects with them are more appealing than their counterparts. What I notice is that sometimes they are appropriate, sometimes not. They are not universally appealing. In many cases they give things an inappropriately childish (childlike?) feeling.
mmahemoff 15y ago
It does show that the world is not just sharp angles. Most UIs with round angles still include sharp angles too.
mmahemoff 15y ago
It does show that the world is not just sharp angles. Most UIs with round angles still include sharp angles too.