ccc_ldo@waikato.ac.nz (Lawrence D'Oliveiro, Waikato University) (07/30/90)
After three weeks of keeping them both on my hard disk, I still finding myself reaching for ResEdit 1.2 rather than 2.0b2. Particularly if you just want to look at or change file type/creator information, 1.2's file/folder picker windows are *much* more convenient than Standard File, which is what 2.0 uses. Modelessness wins out over modality again, I guess... Also, I question the usefulness of those cute icons you now get to show each resource type. I just find that they reduce the number of types that can be displayed in the window, without telling me anything I don't already know. It might be useful if they told you whether ResEdit actually had an editor for each type, but they don't even do that. The point I'm trying to make is that people who use ResEdit aren't novice users: any ease-of-use enhancements should be aimed at people with a certain level of sophistication, and I just think that the icon display--in its present form--misses the mark. Don't get me wrong: I *like* the new editors and pickers (question: does the "snd " picker emulate HyperCard's bugs as well...?). Has anybody tried to see if the new editors/pickers work with the old ResEdit? I guess I could be the first... Lawrence D'Oliveiro fone: +64-71-562-889 Computer Services Dept fax: +64-71-384-066 University of Waikato electric mail: ldo@waikato.ac.nz Hamilton, New Zealand 37^ 47' 26" S, 175^ 19' 7" E, GMT+12:00 To someone with a hammer and a screwdriver, every problem looks like a nail with threads.
kazim@Apple.COM (Alex Kazim) (08/01/90)
In article <1115.26b46ea3@waikato.ac.nz> ccc_ldo@waikato.ac.nz (Lawrence D'Oliveiro, Waikato University) writes: > >Also, I question the usefulness of those cute icons you now get to >show each resource type. I just find that they reduce the number of types >that can be displayed in the window, without telling me anything I >don't already know. It might be useful if they told you whether >ResEdit actually had an editor for each type, but they don't even do >that. You could use the "View" menu to display the types (and sizes) without the icons. I think the original plan was that the icon should only be present if a template existed, but since ResEdit itself is tailorable, this may not always hold true. As for utility, I think they are helpful in giving the user a quick visual clue as to the contents. All too often people try to cram too much meaning into an icon, and I think some of these icons suffer from that particular disease. However, an ugly icon doesn't mean all icons are bad. >The point I'm trying to make is that people who use ResEdit aren't >novice users: any ease-of-use enhancements should be aimed at people >with a certain level of sophistication, and I just think that the icon >display--in its present form--misses the mark. > It's true that ResEdit users were pretty much power users, but the question is whether that should continue to be the case. I think the new version of ResEdit goes a long way into allowing easy access to a larger number of users. ========================================================================== Alex Kazim, Apple Computer We have one heavily armed recreational vehicle here ==========================================================================