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Joel Spolsky was critical of Kai's UI: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/22/consistency-and-other-hobgoblins/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/22/co

Joel Spolsky was critical of Kai's UI: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/22/consistency-and-other-hobgoblins/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/22/consistency-and-ot... I'm reminded of that today because that article was the one place that I read about Kai's software before today.

mananaysiempre 3y ago
> https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/22/consistency-and-other-hobgoblins/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/22/consistency-and-ot... >> Netscape 6.0 goes so far as to reimplement every single common Windows control. Of course, there’s the part where IE[1], VB, and Access all implement(ed) their own common windows controls, they were just careful to make them behave (nearly) the same. Some of the things needed for that are deliberately available in the Win32 API, others are deliberately[2] undocumented, still others are just impressively obscure[3]. [1] http://bytepointer.com/resources/old_new_thing/20050211_035_windowless_controls_are_not_magic.htm http://bytepointer.com/resources/old_new_thing/20050211_035_... [2] http://bytepointer.com/resources/old_new_thing/20150508_096_documentation_creates_contract_which_is_why_you_need_to_be_very_careful_what_you.htm http://bytepointer.com/resources/old_new_thing/20150508_096_... [3] https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/12340/CImageButtonWithStyle-Buttons-using-Images-with-XP https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/12340/CImageButtonWithS...
pixelgeek 3y ago
Joel is not wrong. Sometimes using a tool that Kai had input into was troubling at first. The KPT and MetaCreations tools were always about creating an intuitive way to create and iterate and the UIs attempted to do that. The dialogs etc did look weird but then most UIs back then looked like hell to be honest. Or at least boring.
anjel 3y ago
To really appreciate Kais ideas about UI design, I suggest comparing it to its contemporary Framemaker's "747 cockpit" UI for context.
- DonHopkins 3y ago
  Painmaker: It's riddled with features.

mananaysiempre 3y ago

> https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/22/consistency-and-other-hobgoblins/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/22/consistency-and-ot... >> Netscape 6.0 goes so far as to reimplement every single common Windows control. Of course, there’s the part where IE[1], VB, and Access all implement(ed) their own common windows controls, they were just careful to make them behave (nearly) the same. Some of the things needed for that are deliberately available in the Win32 API, others are deliberately[2] undocumented, still others are just impressively obscure[3]. [1] http://bytepointer.com/resources/old_new_thing/20050211_035_windowless_controls_are_not_magic.htm http://bytepointer.com/resources/old_new_thing/20050211_035_... [2] http://bytepointer.com/resources/old_new_thing/20150508_096_documentation_creates_contract_which_is_why_you_need_to_be_very_careful_what_you.htm http://bytepointer.com/resources/old_new_thing/20150508_096_... [3] https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/12340/CImageButtonWithStyle-Buttons-using-Images-with-XP https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/12340/CImageButtonWithS...

pixelgeek 3y ago

Joel is not wrong. Sometimes using a tool that Kai had input into was troubling at first. The KPT and MetaCreations tools were always about creating an intuitive way to create and iterate and the UIs attempted to do that. The dialogs etc did look weird but then most UIs back then looked like hell to be honest. Or at least boring.

anjel 3y ago

To really appreciate Kais ideas about UI design, I suggest comparing it to its contemporary Framemaker's "747 cockpit" UI for context.

DonHopkins 3y ago
Painmaker: It's riddled with features.