Roger wrote:
As long as there is still a rc/config file in place for users whom want to editthe config file by hand using VIM. Personally, I'd rather use VIM rather then a GUI interface. Using VIM, editingconfig options much faster. GUI can be much easier or the lackadaisicalmethod.
Of course there is still an rc file; the GUI could even be modified to nicely comment it (though it doesn't right now, to keep the code size down). But imagine you're a new user and not really all that tech-savvy. Say staring at white webpage backgrounds all day makes your eyes hurt. Would you rather a) spend hours looking through a long configuration file looking for an option to somehow darken them; or b) click a button that says "Darken white backgrounds"? If you choose option a) and you're persistent -- remember you're still pretending to be a non-savvy, first-time Dillo user -- you might discover there are two separate settings for this: - allow_white_bg sets whether white backgrounds are allowed, and - bg_color takes the hexadecimal(!) code for your desired background color. (Remember as a non-savvy, first-time user, you don't know hexadecimal.) On the other hand, if you choose option b), you probably saw it here: http://dillo-win32.sourceforge.net/dillo/screenshots.php?closeup=Win95-09.pn... That's much simpler, wouldn't you say? As a side note, "Allow white backgrounds" is a bad option name from a user's perspective: since most users automatically assume white backgrounds are the norm, an "Allow white backgrounds" option forces them to think in negatives. "Darken white backgrounds" is better, because it recognizes this implied norm. The word "darken" also states a clear action, unlike -- for example -- "disallow." A user should never have to stop and think, "What does 'Disallow white backgrounds' mean?" if there's a more obvious way to word it. (And yes, I know mainline darkens backgrounds by default, but it makes a convenient illustration. And yes, if you're wondering, little things like this DO make a surprisingly huge difference in usability.) Cheers, ~Benjamin
Somebody claiming to be Benjamin Johnson wrote:
Roger wrote: But imagine you're a new user and not really all that tech-savvy. Say staring at white webpage backgrounds all day makes your eyes hurt. Would you rather
a) spend hours looking through a long configuration file looking for an option to somehow darken them; or
Why are you proposing that the rc file be so complicated? It takes less than 15 minutes to read through every single available option in the current dillorc.
b) click a button that says "Darken white backgrounds"?
New users (in my experience) cannot find such buttons. Mostly because they assume anything their program doesn't already do is "hard". So they call me and then I have to find the button. Not that I'm saying there should not be a button, but I think the idea that GUI configuration panes are "newb friendly" is a bit of wishful thinking.
"Darken white backgrounds" is better, because it recognizes this implied norm. The word "darken" also states a clear action, unlike -- for example -- "disallow." A user should never have to stop and think, "What does 'Disallow white backgrounds' mean?" if there's a more obvious way to word it.
I agree with this. Maybe even change it to a setting for *how much* to darken. Maybe. -- Stephen Paul Weber, @singpolyma See <http://singpolyma.net> for how I prefer to be contacted edition right joseph
Hi Stephen, On 11/29/11, Stephen Paul Weber <singpolyma at singpolyma.net> wrote:
Why are you proposing that the rc file be so complicated? It takes less than 15 minutes to read through every single available option in the current dillorc.
I'm saying that the rc file is complicated because it is. Most people don't have the time to read through every single available option in an rc file, if they even know where to find it. Remember we're the minority on dillo-dev. We're more technically inclined than the average user; we're used to rc files, and we have enough interest (and time!) to do things the long way. But Joe Sixpack doesn't have time to read through a long text file to find a configuration option; he just needs a button he can click so he can change the setting and get back to his real work.
New users (in my experience) cannot find such buttons. Mostly because they assume anything their program doesn't already do is "hard". So they call me and then I have to find the button.
Not that I'm saying there should not be a button, but I think the idea that GUI configuration panes are "newb friendly" is a bit of wishful thinking.
They aren't perfect, and I'm not claiming they are. But they're certainly an improvement. And if worst comes to worst, it's still easier to tell someone where to find a button to click than it is to explain the intricacies of a configuration file. GUIs are also more convenient, even for experienced users: rather than hunting through an rc file, you can just click a couple buttons, and you don't even have to restart the browser. For instance, I just used mine to change my user agent, since my university now apparently uses UA sniffing to throttle bandwidth. By the way, I have a GUI coded, but as with all my past contributions, it has consistently been silently ignored. But my own users seem quite happy with it -- at least the ones who realize it was my addition and have written to me about it -- so their loss, I suppose.
"Darken white backgrounds" is better, because it recognizes this implied norm. The word "darken" also states a clear action, unlike -- for example -- "disallow." A user should never have to stop and think, "What does 'Disallow white backgrounds' mean?" if there's a more obvious way to word it.
I agree with this. Maybe even change it to a setting for *how much* to darken. Maybe.
"How much" is already determined by the bg_color option, so I see no need for a separate option. Personally, I *don't* think they should change the option name, because it would break backwards compatibility with previous versions. It's important to make things easy for new users, but it's just as important not to alienate existing users. That's why I won't upgrade Microsoft Office or The GIMP; both have redesigned so much I can't figure out how to work the latest versions. But you can still have a "Darken white backgrounds" GUI option while coding it internally as allow_white_bg=NO, as I have done. (My interface also sets bg_color appropriately either to white or tan.) That, I think, is an appropriate compromise, since you're breaking neither the existing code nor the poor user's brain. Cheers, ~Benjamin
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obeythepenguin＠gmail.com -
singpolyma＠singpolyma.net