robertl@bucsf.bu.edu (Robert La Ferla) (04/26/91)
I think the NeXTStep user interface could be vastly improved with color. I agree with NeXT's philosophy on having too much color - it's distracting and distasteful. However, color is currently under used in the interface. I hope this will change in the next release. For instance, I have a hard time focusing my attention on monochrome text. It's analogous to listening to a monotone speaker - it's dull and boring. With color, NeXT could provide an easy to spot mouse pointer. How many times have you lost track of the mouse pointer because it blended into the background? I'd like to see error messages use red in some part of the alert panel to grab my attention - especially if I'm a few feet away from the monitor. This is especially good for servers where you may not be in front of them. I'd also like to see a transparent color used when highlighting selections similar to the markers you used in college/high school. I could go on but you get the idea. The problem of course is that when you sell both monochrome and color systems, how do you take advantage of color while maintaining consistency between the two disparate systems? This is a challenge and I am waiting to see how NeXT handles it. Robert La Ferla Lotus Development Corporation Advanced Technology Group / Improv