avr@mtgzz.att.com (a.v.reed) (11/22/88)
In article <651@sdics.ucsd.EDU>, norman@sdics.ucsd.EDU (Donald A Norman-UCSD Cog Sci Dept) writes: > 1. the signal should not distract (flashing the selected > window would be a very poor solution); > 2. The non-selected windows should still be easy to use, > because one often is reading from or otherwise using the > material in the non-selected windows while working in the > selected one. While I don't know of any scholarly studies on the subject, the informal "prevailing opinion" here at Bell Labs, based on internal population preferences for various feedback styles and on experience with early AT&T windowing systems, is that border visibility is very good for this. For me, and for most people I know with enough experience to have a preference, good styles include xterm under X 11 (solid border for active, shaded border for inactive) and the AT&T 630 MTG terminal (broad border for active, thin border for inactive). I don't know anyone who likes flashing, and very, very few who like whole window differences such as background shading, stipling, or reverse video. It would be good, though, to have some formal work in this area. Adam Reed (avr@mtgzz.ATT.COM)