FreeLists / openbeos / [openbeos] Re: Windows Vista Performance Kludges (that Haiku does)

["Kobi Lurie" <k_lurie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Original Message ----------
To:  (openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
From: Simon Taylor (simontaylor1@xxxxxxxxxxxx)
Subject: [openbeos] Re: Windows Vista Performance Kludges (that Haiku does
Date: 

> > This is the 
> > problem with many Linux applications, in my opinion, and even as a long
> > -time computer user and developer I am sometimes shocked and dismayed 
> > by a configuration dialog with multiple pages of complex controls 
> > (*cough*VLC*cough*.)
> 
> Both open source and commercial software unfortunately has this tendency 
> to become bloated, and for different reasons. Joel judges "success" of 
> software based on commercial profit measurements. In that space more 
> features almost always equals more "successful" software - few people 
> would pay to upgrade to "v2 - now with a more streamlined workflow and 30% 
> less toolbar buttons".
> 
> As an open-source project Haiku can strive for something more idealistic 
> and can recognise usability, elegance and simplicity as important parts of 
> the "success" of software.
> 
> Although Open Source can remove all the commercial pressures that can get 
> in the way of creating great software, it brings its own problems. As 
> people can contribute any feature they like there is a huge battle to 
> avoid bloat.
> 
> Back to Joel's features==success message - my counter-example would be the 
> Background preferences in KDE vs BeOS. The KDE one allows you to select an 
> image and combine it with a user-definable gradient using many combination 
> modes (blend/add/subtract). It has an in built mechanism to download new 
> backgrounds from the web. Yet for me the BeOS one is far more successful - 
> I instantly open it and know I just drag an image to it and hit Apply. I 
> have graphics packages to deal with any of the other rare use cases. 
> Really it's not about removing features, it's about having the right 
> features in the right places.
 
I feel the thing to note is how much actions did you perform to get it done.
both mouse movements, recognizing the right preference (this takes some time, 
you need to think what each does, and which one you want to use), keystrokes, 
sometimes a need to start browsing the system, in which case you need to both 
remember where you put that image file, and both to get there which again has 
some mental work.
but if you simply find and drag an image, then that is faster and more 
intuitive (easier to grasp) than an Open dialogue.
so one thing is usability and speed from all these aspects,
and the other in my opinion is flexibility. if the user can integrate it easily 
for new creations. (for example, filters or views in a mail program based on 
the email fields - the more information you have the more you can do, just 
expose more fields and it is already more powerful -- and the interface stays 
the same)
it is possible to add such a guideline to try to minimize hurting the 
usability/speed and flexibility. (if it improves it's in, if not, try to reduce 
the problem or leave it out if it's not an important feature)
I think if you have a quick way to "measure" it, then you'll have less to 
consider and you won't need to keep an eye on bloat.

anyway, just a few thoughts from reading this thread
see ya, kobi

> I do feel Haiku needs some more formal way of preventing bloat. At the 
> moment it is safeguarded by the people who have SVN access having the 
> "right idea". In future though, Haiku is likely to be swamped with 
> contributions from people from Linux backgrounds adding the particular 
> features they feel they couldn't live without, and I think Haiku needs a 
> way of dealing with that. Honestly I think we will have a fight on our 
> hands to prevent the Haiku user experience tending towards that of Linux - 
> the only reason I'm still following Haiku is I believe it's one we can 
> win.
> 
> Simon
> 
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