OT - Squeak and the Broader Software Community

Bill Schwab BSchwab at anest.ufl.edu
Wed Jul 12 22:08:01 UTC 2006


Tim, Daniel,

==================
> +1
>
> UI widgets are a solved problem. It is part of the operating
> system. Like writing a file system is done, writing UI widgets is
> done too.

Now that I have to disagree with. There is no OS/GUI /platform that I
have so much as heard rumours of that qualify as having 'solved UI
widgets'. They are all sufficiently steeped in effluvium as to smell
bad.

I don't think filing systems are 'done ' either; certainly microsoft
hasn't managed to finish that damn big file system it's been
promising RSN since I first moved to the US in 91. Unix is not
exactly a shining example either.

Just because lots (all?) of the current commercial platforms do
something doesn't mean it is a good - or even acceptable - idea.
======================

I must side with Tim here, at least most of the way.  I will grant that
Squeak is hurting in the GUI department, but native widgets are not a
cure-all.  Further, I care much more about the user interface I present
to users than I care about the interface that is presented to me.

I wish Rob great success with wxSqueak, but remain convinced that
emulated widgets will continue to have a place.  I believe that because
I created many of them in Dolphin, largely for performance reasons. 
Most of my users don't know what native widgets are, and couldn't care
less about them as long as software is responsive and easy to use.

Users _do_ understand keyboard focus, at least well enough to know when
it is botched.  They understand when they have to click to get
something's attention and then again to interact with it, they
understand when something "sticks to the mouse" when that was not their
intent, etc.  Between look and feel, the feel is vastly more important. 
 IMHO, it is also the thing that Morphic or any other framework needs to
control/respect/assist.  Look can/should be pluggable.  This is not
about native vs. emulated; it is about good GUI design.  I think we
should have good design with a choice of native and emulated widgets.

Bill



Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D.
University of Florida
Department of Anesthesiology
PO Box 100254
Gainesville, FL 32610-0254

Email: bills at anest4.anest.ufl.edu
Tel: (352) 846-1285
FAX: (352) 392-7029




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