FreeLists / openbeos-cdt / [openbeos-cdt] Re: .pkg package uninstaller GUI

["DarkWyrm" <darkwyrm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I agree with this; I know about this issue since I was having similar
> thoughts. But I decided to use this approach for two reasons. The 
> first
> one would be that the listview would have to be the same size as the
> description view, wasting space. Package names are quite compact and
> don't need as much free space.
> The second thing would be, well, intuitiveness? I don't quite have a
> word for this. What I mean is, that when a user wants to remove a
> package, he probably wants to do this as fast as possible. So it's
> better for him (more intuitive?) to have the button responsible close 
> to
> the selection list.
Speed is normally a good thing. However, this is one instance where we 
need to tread carefully. Probably the most important tenet in UI design 
is to preserve the user's data unless the user actually wants to delete 
it and in those cases, do our best to prevent mistakes. Making the 
uninstall button not have default button behavior is an example of 
doing this; a user's program isn't accidentally wiped out by a stray 
keypress.

Just so you know, intuitive is a word which I avoid using because it is 
fundamentally incorrect and prone to misunderstandings. According to 
dictionary.com, intuitive means that something is understood without 
any reasoning, immediately understandable. Truly intuitive things are 
like ducking when something is unexpectedly thrown at you. Everything 
else is a matter of training -- it reminds me of Scotty talking into a 
mouse in Star Trek IV. I think what you mean is that it's more 
convenient, which it certainly is, but I don't think convenience is 
something we want to add too much of in a program like this.

> Also, I find it a bit odd to see a Uninstall/Remove button used for
> "removal" in place of the usual button which "changes or adds
> something". But that's just a personal feeling ;-)
I can see how you feel that way. However, it's also a location for 
buttons which mean Start, which was the intention.

> From my point of view, both the old and your suggested one are be 
> good.
> Now it's just a matter of a final decision.
Which is up to whom? Me? You? Consensus?

--Jon