Re: What they're up to

[Mitch Stone <mstone@vc.net>]

  In reply to Daniel Strychalski's message sent 11/24/97 3:44 PM:
  
  >A DOS prompt doesn't help much once the newcomer has been imprinted with the
  >idea of a "desktop" above, and a "briefcase" on the same level with, hard
  >disks in the hierarchy of storage spaces. This is a gross misrepresentation
  >of the system, and one that seems designed to confuse people.
  
  I found myself saying "yes, yes, yes" until I reached this part of your 
  argument.
  
  Applying this logic, a car would be more "intuitive" if we had to throw a 
  saddle directly onto an engine and steer with reins. That would certainly 
  "represent" the functions of the vehicle more accurately.
  
  I'd submit that the problem is not that the computing analogies (be it a 
  desktop, briefcase or whatever) are inherently confusing, but that they 
  are a negative factor only when an inadequate levels of human engineering 
  are applied to their design. Maybe we've been looking at Microsoft 
  products too long, and can only dimly realize how badly they have botched 
  the human engineering aspects of their mission. 
  
  This is one of the great tragedies of Microsoft: They plainly have the 
  resources to do it right, but insist on developing software that only 
  techophiles could really love.
  
  But we digress....
  
     Mitch Stone
  +---
     At Microsoft, quality is job 1.1b3.
  
     Boycott Microsoft ** http://www.vcnet.com/bms