Comments on: Less is more. But still less.

By: David

David — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:17:03 +0000

@kikl:

“Here’s my suggestion: Keep the tooltips, but monitor the user actions. If a user uses a certain application very often, say each time, the computer is booted, then it is safe to assume that he knows the purpose of the tool. Then stop displaying the tooltips for these tools. Keep the tooltips for tools, which are not used often. This has to do with the idea of an automatically customised interface.”

I really wouldn’t have a desktop which “thinks” about my usages. It would generally lead to strange and unwanted results. I prefer to have a static UI, so I can know by heart how it behaves (even if most of the time I don’t need this tooltip or that alert message…), and not find my desktop usability changing over time.

It makes me think about the auto-hidden entries in menus on Windows/Office/etc., when the menu just shows recent used entries. This feature really turned to be a pain for users.

By: asp

asp — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 03:43:27 +0000

Themes vrs Usability.

I understand that Canonical needs a corporate theme/design, but am unsure why this should impact an end user. Things like button placement/existence should be determined by usability testing rather than marketing departments, no?

By: maximalred

maximalred — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:29:41 +0000

I would like to see in the new ubuntu 10.04 more support for that new game, or old game, it is open source now, the Myst online URU for linux that would be nice, more support for ipod touch 2nd players, so we don’t have to use windows anymore for that, and anything else I am not thinking of at this time, how is its facebook support for flash games? or flash based web sites, like the muppets, it seemed to be really slow under ubuntu linux last time I checked

By: Philip

Philip — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:29:18 +0000

I suggest creating a single ‘One Ubuntu’ installer – probably on DVD with the configuration options to install the version you are after and, maybe, publicize an emergency recovery option to mend corruption, if that doesn’t already exist. This will streamline and strengthen your brand image, as I feel it’s too fragmented now. All the iterations can be marketed as facets and point to the one source. Those confused by all the choices are going to see that you can get everything from the one installer, their particular needs met. If you want to streamline, then it can’t be such a bad idea to follow Apple’s example, the ease of a single, configurable installer. If you provide the individual images for burning to CD, for those who know what they want, they should be found as an aside to the this main DVD.

By: » Mark Shuttleworth rilancia e ambisce a Windows Phone 7

» Mark Shuttleworth rilancia e ambisce a Windows Phone 7 — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:20:39 +0000

[...] perché Shuttleworth ha affidato a un proverbio anglosassone il titolo di un intervento sul proprio blog personale in cui loda la nuova UI di Windows Phone 7 (oggettivamente piuttosto accattivante) e [...]

By: Mark Shuttleworth rilancia e ambisce a Windows Phone 7 | Giovanni Raco

Mark Shuttleworth rilancia e ambisce a Windows Phone 7 | Giovanni Raco — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 07:09:25 +0000

By: Larry Thiel

Larry Thiel — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:52:54 +0000

I am glad to hear arguments on all sides of this kind of issue. There are only two aspects I have objected to:

1- Making basic UI changes in an LTS release thereby causing retraining expenses for the companies targeted by an LTS release (which may have been waiting 3 years for a new LTS).
2. Making basic UI change decisions without some amount of public discussion about why.

Mark is right. These are things they must do and I appreciate his articles about it. There is no person in the world with whom I always agree. Disagreement happens less often with good disclosure.

By: francesco44

francesco44 — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:37:37 +0000

I am left handed, by use a mouse with the right hand. As the scroll bar are on the right it is better to put the close button on the right. Ottherwise you have to “cross” the screen many times a day. Also, if the part on the left is free of button…then you can use it for messages…..which are better there than on the right side as we read from left to right.

Buttons on the left are a specialty of OSX…..which never pleased me as other peculiarities….like putting discs in the garbage to unmount them….very confusing;

Ubuntu is almost perfect especially 10.04 Lucid Lynx. The only thing I would like would be a small program, very straighforward and clear to save hardisks, files, compare files…merge files, etc….We all use many computers, at work, home, etc…to maintain the whole is still difficult. I believe Cloud one will be a solution…but i never hqd the time to try.

Best regards and thanks for your clever work.

Francesco

By: kwakarider

kwakarider — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:14:47 +0000

G’day Mark

I have been using Ubuntu off and on for the last 2 years.
Why is there so much focus on animation and eye candy, more energy should be spent on fixing the well know usb speed bug.
Yes a little eye candy is nice, though the the OS is useless if you are unable to use it to its full potential.

Cheers

By: Trevor Turton

Trevor Turton — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:21:45 +0000

The Metro presentation is brilliant, the best material I’ve seen from Microsoft in a looong time! I like the slide heading “Principle: Content, not Chrome”. In any UI, if the widgets are glitzier than the content, someone has lost the plot. Widgets should be like toilets – conveniently available, easy to access and use when you need them, and completely unobtrusive when you don’t need them, which is most of the time.