Making Squeak more accessible and used - reversing the trend

Bill Schwab BSchwab at anest.ufl.edu
Tue Feb 6 15:36:46 UTC 2007


Brad,

The colossal misunderstanding of our time is the assumption that
insight will work with people who are unmotivated to change.
Communication does not depend on syntax, or eloquence, or rhetoric, or
articulation but on the emotional context in which the message is being
heard. People can only hear you when they are moving toward you, and
they are not likely to when your words are pursuing them. Even the
choicest words lose their power when they are used to overpower.
Attitudes are the real figures of speech. (Edwin H. Friedman)

More to the point, give the user what they want, though not necessarily
the way they want it.  Then gradually show them a better way.

Bill





Brad Fuller brad at bradfuller.com
Mon Feb 5 23:01:59 UTC 2007

Yep, if you want to move beyond the status quo and provide tools that 
seem odd at first blush to users, it's going to be a tad tougher sell.

as always:

"It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry
out, nor more doubtful of success, nor dangerous to handle, than to
initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all
those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all
those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising
partly from fear of their adversaries, who have the laws in their
favor;
and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe
in
anything new until they have had actual experiences of it. Thus, it
arises that on every opportunity for attacking the reformer, his
opponents do so with the zeal of partisans, the others only defend him
half-heartedly, so that between them he runs great danger."

1513 AD Machiavelli



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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