[JDEV] UI opinions..

[arh14 at cornell.edu]

Well, I know what I don't want.  ICQ must not have hired any developers 
with an aesthetic clue because they're client is so darn ugly and 
anti-intuitive I do not even use it any more.  Every single token of info 
is accompanied by some big fat garish color-clashing icon which probably 
moves when your mouse goes over it.  I also don't like the 
"everything-is-a-button" approach.  When I press a button I don't expect 
a menu.  And I also don't conceptually understand WHY a button would be 
in an eternally down state (which it could be only if it is a toggle, 
which they typically aren't).  Also, I do not need a mail client, web 
client, or homepage editor in my IM.  Less bloat == more Good.

I just want to see a small, clean interface, which gives me as few ways 
to do the same thing as possible.  A list of "buddies", online/offline 
indicators (no I don't need "N/A", "Gone", "Sleeping", "FUBAR", or any of 
those other stupid statuses).  Some sort of minimal security might even 
be nice (the concept, maybe, of a "session" between online buddies that 
can't be spoofed...use a simple hash of IPs and date/times as a session 
key or something).

[/rant] ;)

Aaron

P.S. It's ok if I'm critical...I may well be client developer in the 
future...

On Wed, 4 Aug 1999, Thomas D. Charron wrote:

>   I was pondering this last night, and at this point I'd like to request people's opinions on GUI's.  Once we have CVS again, I will be checking in the new and for the most part working Win32 client, but this is the time for UI suggestions, so instead of running out on my own and trying to make what I like for a UI, I'd like to start a conversation regarding people 'wish list' for a client..  Please, feeel free to fire anything away..  Suggestions could be like:
> 
> "Please, NO menu's, gimme lotsalotsa BUTTONS!!"
> 
> "Minimize to task bar in Win32 = a MUST!!"
> 
> "Be able to connected on demand, simular to the other Win32 IM clients"
> 
> "I want a screensaver that shows my buddy list status!!"  (EEww!!)
> 
>   Fire away.  I think that the other client developers would also want to chime in, and listen up..  If you don't mind donating a few IQ points to the effort, we can make this the perfect user client..
> 
> ---
> Thomas Charron
> 
> 
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