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

["Jorge G. Mare (a.k.a. Koki)" <koki@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Waldemar,

Waldemar Kornewald wrote:
> On 12/13/06, Jorge G. Mare (a.k.a. Koki) <koki@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > It is not so much the number of features that make for complexity, but
> > more the way the system exposes those features to the user. You can have
> > the features needed by a wide range of users and do so in a way that is
> > not complex or difficult to use. That's what Haiku should strive for, 
> > IMHO.
> I agree, but it's also not as simple as your email makes it sound (it
> could get misunderstood).Of course, we can have advanced features and
> try to make them less disturbing for non-technical users, but at some
> level you can't effectively hide them without disturbing normal users.
>
> Before adding a new feature, we need to make sure that it's actually 
> useful:
> * Is it useful for the application's *target audience* or only for a
> small minority (maybe only you)?
> * How much UI complexity does it add?
> * Does it make you more productive or do you get any real advantage
> with this feature (apart from having yet another function to choose
> from)?
> * Does the feature get in the way of other users and how big is the impact?
> * Does a similar feature already exist and is it doing a better job?
> * Can another feature be generalized such that it allows for both
> functions without increasing complexity too much?
>
> It's difficult to identify "bad" features, but it's worth the effort
> and we must to learn to say "no" in that case.
Nobody said it would be easy or that feature redundancy was acceptable. 
You probably read too much between the lines. :-)
The problem is that whether any given feature is useful or makes you 
more productive or not is a very subjective matter. What is useful for 
me may not be so for you (and vice versa), even if we were to fit the 
same user profile (say, power user).
To shy away from adding features in order to stay on the safe side as a 
matter of development philosophy seems like an extreme approach. That 
alone does not guarantee simplicity, plus you also risk ending up with a 
system that is perceived as (or may even be in fact) lacking in features.
I am all for simplicity in Haiku, but I also want it to give users the 
power do the the things that they need or want to do. We should not be 
afraid to give users features, but we need to be creative and expose 
them in ways that are unobtrusive and that don't add complexity to the 
overall user experience. That is the key to simplicity, not the number 
of features.
Is it easy? Definitely no, but I think this is a goal worth striving 
for, and well in line with the BeOS heritage that we are continuing.
Cheers,

Koki

PS: There are no features that are inherently bad, but rather bad 
implementation of features.