4 ms·

Wait, isn't vim built entirely on the concept of modes?

• msoad 13y ago
  That's why some people do not like it. It's more complex to learn. Vim is a good example of how modes can make UI confusing. I think the "shaking icons" mode in iPhone is complex too. Your average iPhone user probably do not know it but she/he wouldn't miss a big part of their device.
  • coherentpony 13y ago
    I can understand that, but calling them 'bad' right off the bat is not necessarily true. Let's use a digital watch as an example. Digital watches are designed to be small enough to fit on your wrist. As a consequence, there are physical constraints on the number of buttons you can put on the side whilst maintaining usability. If you allow the use of a modal user interface, you can use fewer buttons. The downside is you have to read the manual to configure your watch. My point may be moot, though; who uses a watch in the 21st century? I use my phone to tell the time.
    • jordanthoms 13y ago
      Since I got my Pebble, I wear a watch almost all the time
  • omaranto 13y ago
    I think that mode-theorists wouldn't consider the shaking icons thing to be a mode, since it's obvious when you're in it. What they call a mode is a program state that the user can easily be in without realizing it and that affects the results of user interactions. Something like that.