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all it takes is reading a review of OS X or Windows where hundreds of words are devoted to incremental adjustments to the Start menu and dock to realize those f
by npsimons 13y ago
all it takes is reading a review of OS X or Windows where hundreds of words are devoted to incremental adjustments to the Start menu and dock to realize those fluffy details aren't so fluffy after all. They matter.
Yes, they matter very much, and yes there are some things you can nail down in the UI arena; but point number two (confusing OS with UI) is very cogent, especially for computer science. Please don't muddy the waters in CS curricula anymore than they have been. This kind of stuff is CS, but it does not belong in a proper OS course. It belongs in a UI or human factors course (which I do think more people would benefit from than an OS course; most people aren't going to be working on OS level stuff, even if understanding would help them be better programmers).
- Dirlewanger 13y agoAgreed. I don't really get the point of this post. Understanding OS fundamentals shouldn't be conflated with understanding interaction design principles. They're related, sure, but their cores are not. Talking about OS UI design principles would be relevant at the end of the course in order to demonstrate some of the concepts learned.