[plug] Good GUI Interface Design

[James Devenish]

In message <3FE3D164.3060708 at postnewspapers.com.au>
on Sat, Dec 20, 2003 at 12:34:44PM +0800, Craig Ringer wrote:
> I'll bite.

I'm assuming he was trolling, but I can't help myself anyway :)

In relation to Mac OS:

> I and many others have loathed the use of a single mouse button for
> quite some time.

Two complaints I don't take seriously:
 - complaints about a lack of mouse buttons on the standard mice,
 - complaints about the command key.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with two or three buttons for
general-purpose use, but I don't miss them. When I'm at UNIX terminals
then of course I'm using three buttons because the windowing environment
or apps expect that to be done, but it's "take it or leave it" for me in
terms of usability and satisfaction (same with scroll wheels, for me).
Unless, that is, I'm using xfig on a Mac or on a Windows computer with
only two mouse buttons!! But drafting, drawing and layout are places
where specialised input methods are best (and I will consider three-
button mice to be a specialised input method even though I always expect
a three-button mouse at a typical UNIX workstation). As for the command
key, I consider it a bonus that it's not the same as the control key.

> I think it's badly damaged by the nasty "brushed 
> metal" stuff and little coloured bead-buttons.

Fine, make them grey if you don't like colour :)
(Not a particularly clever retort, but anyway...)

-- 
I might have forgotten to add these:
;-) :-) ;-P :-P