[openbeos] Re: reply: preferences symbol, cultural bias(?)

  • From: "Jonas Sundström" <jonas@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: openbeos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 14:11:45 +0200 CEST

Stephan Assmus <superstippi@xxxxxx> wrote:
 ...
> I've originally tried a knob thingy instead of the slider.
 ...
> Personally, I like the analogy with the spanner.
 ...
> A red checkmark was used to
> indicate correct answers during my schooltime btw. 

The exact opposite to my experience, and we're not
even that far apart, culturally or geographically! 

I too think the spanner metaphor works, but I also think we
should simplify the visual message by cutting the overlays
from the preferences' icons, and have it only on the folder.

/* 
About the prefs folder / entry point: 
I've been using OS X somewhat, lately - hey, no worries! 
a lot of things bug me about it - and unlike (IMO) Zeta's unified 
preferences panel, the one in Mac OS X works beautifully.
It may be an unfair comparison, but that is irrelevant.

Mac OS X uses a light switch for the prefs panel, which 
looks like it might have evolved from the "slider box" used
in classic MacOS control panels: 
http://www.guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/menu
 
One thing I liked about classic MacOS is the old puzzle
pieces, for system extensions. Always good to have
something to stare at during slow start ups..  ;)
They were perhaps a little less stylish. But I digress.
*/

Mac OS X, Windows and Gnome use no icon overlay
or obvious theme (such as slider boxes) at all, it seems.
It's probably easier to "see" each preference item that way.
I'm guessing a shared overlay (like checkmarks) takes
a small amount of extra mental work, "filtering them out"
so you can focus on the differences between the icons.

But I suppose freeing that extra pixel space means more
for optical clarity (which -can- be measured), as long as 
the user is aware that s/he is looking at preferences. 
In Mac OS X you're well aware of that. In BeOS, probably
a little less so, as the preferences, when displayed in 
Tracker or Deskbar look like any other window or submenu.
(And I know that's the way we've liked it, for a very long time,
but Apple, FWIW, have shown that unlike Windows and Zeta, 
it can be done nicely.)

> With most settings apps, you don't "check" options,
> but you adjust some property. Tracker has a couple
> of on/off option type preferences, but most other 
> settings are like "mouse acceleration", "screen resolution",
> "keyboard repeat delay", "the type of something" etc.

Yeah, I think a lot of options gain from being "spelled out",
sometimes like options in a radio-mode popup* menu. 
Like you say, most options aren't on/off, and I suspect it's 
only us programmers who like to think of them as such.

/Jonas.

* "pop-up" sounds so much more positive than "drop-down".

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