Why coders must not write UIs:
Nov. 29th, 2006 07:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theweaselking
From here
Worst thing: There's a "pro mode" button on that dialog.
That being said, look at the window title. This, again, exemplifies *everything* I say about Linux programs and coding and documentation.
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Date: 2006-11-30 12:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2006-11-30 02:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-30 02:38 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-05 01:09 am (UTC)The whole *point* of a gui for wget ought to be a no-frills, low-options, easy to use, integrated with the system version. This is the kind of gui that leads to people saying a CLI is easier to use than a GUI -- it *is*, when *that*'s the gui provided.
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Date: 2006-12-05 04:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-06 05:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-06 06:01 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-30 01:56 pm (UTC)(In case you are not: imagine someone you care about who is not particularly good with computers. My mother is a decent example; she's not really bad with them[1], but she doesn't understand them.
(Imagine helpfully installing this on their computer and walking away.
(Then imagine them crying from frustration when they call you for an explanation.)
---
[1] Certainly not at the "What's written at the top of the screen? No, the *top* of the screen. Should be white text on a blue bar. No-- okay. Put your finger on the screen and run it up to the top. What's your finger resting on?" level.
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Date: 2006-11-30 02:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-30 04:31 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-30 12:55 am (UTC)However, it does not universally prove your premise. Some coders can make good UIs. Usually people writing free software struggle with this. But there are well-established guidelines for UI design (Carleton comp sci even teaches courses in it) and it's something you can learn.
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Date: 2006-11-30 01:06 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-30 01:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-30 01:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-30 01:41 am (UTC)If you can use your mouse, it's definitely a GUI.
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Date: 2006-11-30 01:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-30 01:39 am (UTC)Learn to use multiple option windows/tabs/something for the LOVE of MURPHEY!
Also, WHY do you have widgets overlapping each other? RESIZE that damn hline or remove the "checkbox group" if they aren't supposed to be grouped, or expand it to include the dropdowns and grey out the one that isn't enabled, or SOMETHING. A status bar with help info on it, or tool tips, or a HELP button would be nice.
Better would be NOT OVERCROWDING YOUR UI so you can use RATIONAL LABELS AND BUTTON TEXT for the LOVE of MURPHEY.
Aaagh.
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Date: 2006-11-30 03:13 am (UTC)Yeah but...
Date: 2006-11-30 04:44 am (UTC)Yeah, but that's a Windows program.
Also, I can't help but notice how wrong-headed that article is. UI should be left to graphic designers? Jesus, no. That's where the naked, jibbering insanity of skinned applications was born. You might as well say that the layout of the dashboard and pedals in your car should be the responsibility of the ricers. UI design belongs in the hands of UI designers.
Re: Yeah but...
Date: 2006-11-30 04:55 am (UTC)#2: It could be a Mac or an OS/2 or a Commodore 64 program, and it would still exemplify everything I say about Linus programs and coding and documentation.
Re: Yeah but...
Date: 2006-11-30 02:07 pm (UTC)So it's not a Linux program, and it's certainly not the wget maintainer's fault that the Win32 wrapper is crap.
Re: Yeah but...
Date: 2006-11-30 02:15 pm (UTC)And, again, whether it's a Linux program or not is not relevant to the fact that this is a perfect example of the type of thing I complain about in Linux programs. This is the exact failure in interface and documentation that frustrates me so constantly.
It's not unique to Linux, as this shows, just prevalent there.
Re: Yeah but...
Date: 2006-11-30 02:50 pm (UTC)Which is a large reason for why I prefer Apple. Sure, they're guilty of it themselves at times, but in general they're doing their best to stomp these things out.
Re: Yeah but...
Date: 2006-11-30 03:21 pm (UTC)OK, the interface is painful, but one can argue that the born-and-bred-in-the-server-room programmer didn't know any better. But if that thing comes with no documentation, whoever wrote that GUI deserves some hurt.
Re: Yeah but...
Date: 2006-11-30 03:53 pm (UTC)At least, the kind of thing I'm complaining about does. I haven't looked specifically at WGet's manual.
Re: Yeah but...
Date: 2006-12-05 01:13 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-11-30 05:40 pm (UTC)-- Steve didn't realise it could be literally true.
Recommended reading for programmers
Date: 2006-11-30 06:15 pm (UTC)I still try to avoid designing UIs since reading that, but it has helped me suck less at it.
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Date: 2006-12-01 04:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-02 05:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-12-01 10:09 pm (UTC)But anyway, why the hell would you want a GUI for wget. Just...use a web browser.