Category: Technology

UI Geeks Unite

One of the things I do in my profession is to design user interfaces for software. Most people probably don’t give much thought to how buttons, windows, menus and other elements come together to make your software experience understandable and enjoyable, but software professionals spend alot of time figuring those things out. Today a collegue sent me an excellent article called Visualizing Fitts’ Law, which describes a basic principle for deciding where user interface elements are placed on the screen and how big they should be. Although most of them probably don’t know it, one of the reasons that Mac people hate Windows is because the placement of menus doesn’t take advantage of infinite width.

Hubris

Apple has regained the glory they used to have and along with it they once again have become arrogant and cocky. Yesterday’s keynote and follow-on sessions were proof:

  • Apple’s description of their lame iPhone development solution was “Sweet!” on the slide.
  • When introducing Safari for Windows, Apple subtly replaces Firefox’s slice of the browser pie on the slide with Safari.
  • Steve Jobs describing the new “Cover Flow” feature in the Finder as “useful.”
  • The whole keynote was filled with the usual jabs at Microsoft including the opening “skit” with “PC” masquerading as Steve Jobs before he gets busted by “Mac”.
  • Apple leaves Carbon developers (like Adobe) out in the rain when they neglect to include Carbon under the new 64-bit umbrella.

My son, the nerd

Me:
Hey Thomas!
you there?

Thomas:
hey What?

Me:
how are you?

Thomas:
good

Me:
Keynote was really cool this morning.

Thomas:
cool

Me:
They made Safari work on Windows

Thomas:
awww

Me:
and the new version is available – apple.com/safari

Thomas:
Finally!

Me:
you can download it

Thomas:
FINALLY!
I’m going to wait for the full version

Me:
you won’t be able to use it

Thomas:
oh

Me:
unless we can install Leopard

Thomas:
ok

Me:
we should install Tiger on your computer
I think you need it for safari

Thomas:
The beta version?

Me:
Leopard doesn’t come out until October
yeah
it will say on the website

Thomas:
I want Leopard
!

Me:
it’s still beta,
and will eat up your memory,
but I got a new disc of it,
it’s got a hologram on it
Attempting to connect to 69.64.229.153:4443.
Asking thomasjring to connect to us at 17.210.49.129:5190 for Direct IM.
Me:
are you sending something?
Attempting to connect via proxy server.
Received invalid data on connection with remote user.
Direct IM disconnected
Received invalid data on connection with remote user.

Thomas:
a leopard

Me:
I don’t think it will work

Thomas:
ok

Me:
I’m trying to remember what else they showed.
there’s a new Finder – it looks like iTunes.

Thomas:
aw

Me:
and the new dock is awesome – 3D

Thomas:
danget.
oooo.
wow.

Me:
hmmm, what else.
they demo’d the iPhone.
and told us a way to write software for it.
but it’s totally lame.
(writing software for it)

Thomas:
lol

Me:
you have to do it on a web page.
I have one more session today in 20 minutes.
I always wish that I could bring you with me to WWDC.
I think you’d really like it.

Thomas:
yeah.
I’m watching a video about the new desktop.
ooo

Me:
target=macnn>http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/06/11/wwdc.jobs.talks.leopard/

Thomas:
trasparent finder

Me:
transparent menus, yes.
I don’t like that much actualy.
I don’t like the new Finder, either.
Web Clip works a lot better now.

Thomas:
I like the new dock

Me:
I do, too!

Thomas:
and stacks

Me:
oh and stacks!

Thomas:
lol

Me:
stacks are really cool

Thomas:
yeah

stacks!

stacks!

stacks!stacks!stacks!stacks!

Me:
haha

Thomas:
stacks!stacks!stacks!stacks!stacks!stacks!stacks!crazy!

Me:
stacks

stacky stacks

did I tell you I started using something instead of iChat?

Thomas:
stacks!

Me:
Adium.
you can check it out if you want.
Google it, free download

Thomas:
What is it

Me:
I think it will work on Panther.
it’s like iChat

Thomas:
yes!

Me:
only has more features

Thomas:
and does it work like AIM?

Me:
sort of.
do you like AIM?

Thomas:
well alot of people use it.
all my friends and basically everybody does.

Me:
yes, iChat works with AIM

Thomas:
hmm..

Me:
did you know that?
also, Adium works with AIM

Thomas:
a green duck…

Me:
yeah, you can change that.
you can change a lot of things.

Thomas:
good

hiws….
hows

how’s

Me:
none of those is a word

Thomas:
a purple ferret.
la

Me:
I use the yellow duck

Thomas:
so many substitutes

Me:
“how is”

Thomas:
Safari to Firefox (I hate and love firefox).
ok.
help me setup.
Add an instant messaging account.

Me:
yeah

Thomas:
tell me what to do

Me:
thomasjring.
and your password.
which I’m not sure of.

Thomas:
I don’t have a password…

Me:
but it might be “(redacted)”.
you do.
it’s required.

Thomas:
ok.
AOL or Aim?

Me:
AOL.
they are the same.
I just logged in as you.

Thomas:
brb

Me:
password is “(redacted)”.
I gotta go

Thomas:
oooo.
this is cool

Me:
I have to pee before next session.
enjoy

Thomas:
ok.
bye.

Me:
I’ll ttyl