sunday blog

nikos · Moderator Joined: 07 Feb 2002 Posts: 12346 Location: UK

here's the comment area today's non-technical blog found at: www.zabkat.com/blog/28Jan07.htm

RickyF · Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 10:43 am Post subject:

Over two hundred years ago Ben Franklin wrote "A stitch in time saves nine." Today in our time-compressed, information over-loaded 21st century that could be updated to "A stitch in time saves nine trillion." Efficiency can pay-off.

However, I think computers are more about usability than efficiency. Microsoft does not seem to get usability. This is why we all prefer xplorer2 pro to Microsoft Explorer.

nikos · Moderator Joined: 07 Feb 2002 Posts: 12346 Location: UK

absolutely right, usability. I don't want to trivialize the superiority of x2 over explorer, but a big part of the improvement is psychological: the peace of mind, or rather the lack of irritation that explorer inflicts on users doing the same things wrong, time and again, like an incurable condition

i find amazing how small things like that can drive people (me at least) absolutely crazy, shouting, swearing and almost breaking stuff. Take IE's status bar for instance. In early XP versions the status bar would turn itself off. Then with SP2 they "fixed" it but now it always come on, even when you want it off temporarily. Things like that have me swearing and fuming in no time. I can't believe how companies with the might of m$ can get things so wrong!

RickyF · Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 1:18 pm Post subject:

One of my "favorite" (or "favourite") usability issues is with browsers running full screen. Users expect that the Esc key will return the browser to regular mode but it does not. You have to press F11.

I think good general usability is about designing to the user's expectations. (This is not an original thought but bears repeating.)

nikos · Moderator Joined: 07 Feb 2002 Posts: 12346 Location: UK

hey, this is blog and comments, no requirement for original thought!
more of a soapbox Very Happy

FrizzleFry · Gold Member Joined: 16 Oct 2005 Posts: 454

One of the things that just annoy the hell out me in explorer is that it does not have a generic view/edit file function that can be used on files that are not associated with any program (like F3/F4 in x2). File managers since Norton Commander (and probably even before) have provided this capability but for some reason Microsoft will not add this to explorer.

I realize there are many ways to add this as a generic context menu entry but it should be there already.

benh · New Member Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 6

Hey Nikos, you're crazier than you look - making instant coffee 30 times a day??
I've just taken a job where there are heaps of percolators around the office - make the coffee once in the morning and you get 4-5 cups out of it, brilliant!
In oz we're not really big on percolators (give me espresso or give me tea) so it's a new thing for me, but I quite like it now, and it's wayyyy better than instant.

On another note, if you are into instant, you'll get a smoother taste if you put the milk in first before the boiling water - the boiling water straight on top of instant tends to scorch it, gives it a burnt taste.