ari@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Ari Halberstadt) (09/20/89)
The mac is supposed to present a simple and common user interface to all users. This simple but powerful concept is being ignored over and over again by many programs. It is time Macintosh programmers agree on a standard for such things: if it's going to be "Search", then let's always call it search, not "Find". Similarly, command key combinations should be consistent. For example, "Search Again" could use cmd-G, not cmd-A or cmd-T or whatever weird combinations occur to programmers at 2AM. Finally, as to the placement of commands in menus: why must I always "hunt- and-peck" for a command every time I switch applications??? The following questions occur to me: 1. Is there any consensus on what command keys to assign to menu commands? 2. Are there standard names for common commands? 3. Are there standard places to put these commands? Examples of the kind of mess we're faced with follow: Find cmd-F Search cmd-S Find Again cmd-A/cmd-G Replace cmd-H/cmd-R Change cmd-H/cmd-??? Replace and find cmd-H/cmd-R Select All cmd-A (or no command key :-() As you can see, there isn't much of a standard. Since nearly every program has its own version of these features, wouldn't it be nice to have a standard? Each time I go into another program, I keep on running into these silly inconsistencies, and it takes me forever just to get used to it [and then I have to switch to another program :-(]. At least Apple standardised the "Edit" menu; could imagine if every programmer gave different names and keys to that menu? Another question: when are Mac programmers going to decide on a standard place to put commonly used commands? That is, under what menu will these commands be found? [I hope no one messes up as much as Microsoft Word 4.0]. Please, submit ideas and I can summarize. This is not a formal call on votes, or a call for a passionate debate on the merits of "Find" versus "Search". Rather, this is a prelude to such a debate... -- -- Ari Halberstadt '91, "Long live succinct signatures" E-mail: ari@eleazar.dartmouth.edu Disclaimer: "Live Free or Die"
fleming@cup.portal.com (Stephen R Fleming) (09/21/89)
My solution (admittedly simpleminded) has been to use QuicKeys to assign my
personal favorite standard key combinations to every application, whether it
uses them or not.
I prefer to spend a little effort *once* to customize my environment exactly
the way *I* like it rather than to accept a universally-agreed-and-detested
"standard" enforced by the Menu Nazis.~r
Stephen Fleming / Director, Technology Marketing
Northern Telecom / Federal Networks Division
(703) 847-7058 / Internet: fleming@cup.portal.comawd@dbase.UUCP (Alastair Dallas) (09/23/89)
Here's the problem. Every application has its own emphasis. Command-key equivalents speed up the operations that are most natural for the app. You can't dictate a standard set because, for example, some programs want to make it easy to print (cmd-P) and some programs want to make it easy to choose plain text (cmd-P). In a word processor, Plain comes up more often than Print. In a drawing program (which still supports Plain text), Print is nonetheless more common. I think it is certainly a good idea to make command-key equivalents user- modifiable with ResEdit; I'm amazed at products that make it impossible. /alastair/
kent@sunfs3.camex.uucp (Kent Borg) (09/25/89)
In article <22316@cup.portal.com> fleming@cup.portal.com (Stephen R Fleming) writes: >My solution (admittedly simpleminded) has been to use QuicKeys to assign my >personal favorite standard key combinations to every application, whether it >uses them or not. > >I prefer to spend a little effort *once* to customize my environment exactly >the way *I* like it rather than to accept a universally-agreed-and-detested >"standard" enforced by the Menu Nazis.~r Hear Here! Ear ere! I use QuickCar to customize all the cars I ever drive. I prefer to spend a little effort *once* rather than accept the universally- agreed-and-detested "standard" enforced by the Automobile Nazis. Imagine having all cars operate the same way, right off the lot? What would be the point of having different models for sale if they are all the same anyway? I want to engineer my own car when I sit in it for the first time. This notion that streering wheels or--God forbid--brakes have to be the same from car to car is something only fascists and other reactionaries could want. (Sorry, I couldn't resist... Yes, the saying is "Hear Hear!", and one more thing, I *do* use QuickKeys and I like it.) -- Kent Borg "This and being born are the 2 damndest kent@lloyd.uucp things that ever happened to me." or -Resident of McClellenville, SC, ...!husc6!lloyd!kent referring to Hurricane Hugo (from NPR)