FreeLists / arachne / [arachne] Re: new book: "Why Software Sucks ... And What You Can Do About It."

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Arachne at FreeLists---The Arachne Fan Club!

Most of the people I know who use Windows to access the internet have had
little or no training in computer usage and operate mostly by the "seat
of their pants"--meaning they sat down in front of their computers and
just did the best they could, asking their friends for hints and help and
just "moused around" until something happened. They don't read manuals or
documentation very much--although some do, a little.

All of these people hated DOS and gave up using it at the earliest
opportunity, perhaps avoiding computers altogether until the advent
of Windows made it possible for "ordainary people to use computers".
I put that in quotes because many people have told me exactly that.
They seem shocked when I tell them that Bill Gates is a scoundrel and
a thief who never had an original idea except how to get paid for
other peoples work.


Eric S. Emerson said:
> Arachne at FreeLists---The Arachne Fan Club!
>
> Hi L.D.,
>                 I have been in several very heated debates
> over this very subject.  Some developers are more
> worried about whether they are repeating themselves
> and/or about assuming what the user "ought to know"
> before he runs "their" program than making sure that
> the directions are in terms easily understood by the
> user who has little computer interest/orientation. Some
> programs are intended for "computer geeks" and others
> are intended for those with minimal to no computer
> training.  IMHO, an internet browser is intended for users
> who have minimal computer knowledge as well as for
> users who are "computer geeks".  However, it is the "geeks"
> who develop the program and find the necessary warnings
> and nomenclature necessary for the "newbie" to be
> redundant and a PITA. Therefore, those things necessary
> for the "newbie" get ignored in favor of some other
> development that the developer finds more challenging.
>
> Eric
>
> On Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:40:28 -0500 "L.D. Best" <l.d.best@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> writes:
>> Arachne at FreeLists---The Arachne Fan Club!
>>
>> Saw this and BOY did it sound familiar! <GGGGGG>  This is a problem
>> that
>> shows up repeatedly in Arachne development without it being defined.
>>
>> But the difference with Arachne is that USERS are VERY involved in
>> that
>> development ...  so it just could be the best of both worlds.
>>
>> l.d.
>> -----
>>
>> John Oram wrote:
>> > http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=36680
>> >
>> > Developers are killing software
>> > User friendly as a sting-ray
>> >
>> > By Nick Farrell: Wednesday 03 January 2007, 08:21
>> >
>> > PROGRAMMERS are writing bad code because they do not think like
>> users,
>> > according to the author of a new book "Why Software Sucks ... And
>> What
>> > You Can Do About It."
>> >
>> > Consultant David Platt says that software developers tend to write
>> code
>> > for themselves. But the problem is that they are a different
>> species of
>> > humanity from users. He said that developers like control, while
>> users
>> > want something that's easy to operate.
>> >
>> > Apparently software developers are more likely to buy a car with a
>>
>> > manual transmissions when most Americans like automatic gearboxes.
>> >
>> > In an interview with Reuters, Platt said that one of his pet
>> peeves is
>> > when a text-editing program like Microsoft Word asks users if they
>> want
>> > to save their work before they close their document.
>> >
>> > A better question would be would you like to throw away everything
>>
>> > you've just done, he thinks.
>> >
>> > Such programming questions are a bit like your car asking you if
>> you
>> > want to start the engine when you turn the key.
>> >
>> > He said that the confirmation box has become so overused that no
>> one
>> > pays any attention to it, even when it's warning about a document
>> that
>> > should be kept. Error messages that give you no recourse other
>> than
>> > hitting an OK button also miff Platt. He said that it is not OK
>> with him
>> > that operations don't work and the program can't explain why.
>> >
>> > http://www.amazon.com/Why-Software-Sucks-What-About/dp/0321466756
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>>                   Arachne at FreeLists
>> -- Arachne, The Premier GPL Web Browser/Suite for DOS --
>>
>>
>
>                   Arachne at FreeLists
> -- Arachne, The Premier GPL Web Browser/Suite for DOS --
>
>

                  Arachne at FreeLists                  
-- Arachne, The Premier GPL Web Browser/Suite for DOS --