As a dev, the worst offenders are not sending the url and a screenshot with new copy annotated within the image file (and an obligatory arrow to content it replaces).
Take Better Screenshots
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Re: Take Better Screenshots
#12I see a lot of cropped screenshots on support forums, when really it would be better if the poster took the screenshot of the whole window, and then just highlighted the area they are worried about with a red square (or if you are a StackOverflow user, a freehand red circle ;)). Often the answer lies outside the area the poster thinks is relevant and if one could see it immediately, it would save lots of questions an…
Re: annotated screenshots, there once was a module that allowed making snapshots of GTK windows as PDFs: https://github.com/nomeata/gtk-vector-screenshot
Edit: here it is in action, with selectable text: https://www.joachim-breitner.de/various/pdf_screenshot_3.pdf
Re: Take Better Screenshots
#13To OP -- in the spirit of the article -- it's an uphill task to separate the content from the witticisms here. IMO it would have been a better read with fewer jokes.
The guy is a writer, I think his goal was to entertain more than to inform.
Re: Take Better Screenshots
#14My advice is to avoid taking screenshots wherever possible, particularly if you want to share something in a public setting. The're an accessibility nightmare and may make your content unreadable for certain groups of people, screen reader users in particular.
What's the alternative?
Learning to describe your problem.
Specific knowledge aside, I am always astonished that people not being able to coherently read and write is getting worse.
That's something YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook don't teach I guess?
Re: Take Better Screenshots
#15The downside of uncropped screenshots is information leakage from e.g. your bookmarks, open tabs, unrelated emails, IM popups etc.
Another commentator mentioned annotated screenshots, and now I'm wondering about the "semantic screenshot"; imagine getting a copy of someone's desktop frozen in time with the ability to re-stack windows, check what's currently available on menus, etc.
Re: Take Better Screenshots
#16This piece is so littered with ads (one per paragraph) that it is impossible to read without an ad blocker.
That's, sadly, the Web these days. Even with adblockers, I see the "advertisement" lines remaining in articles. Often every paragraph or two.
With Javascript disabled, I don't see them at all
Re: Take Better Screenshots
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
What's the alternative?
Learning to describe your problem. Specific knowledge aside, I am always astonished that people not being able to coherently read and write is getting worse. That's something YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook don't teach I guess?
The two are not exclusive
Re: Take Better Screenshots
#18I see a lot of cropped screenshots on support forums, when really it would be better if the poster took the screenshot of the whole window, and then just highlighted the area they are worried about with a red square (or if you are a StackOverflow user, a freehand red circle ;)). Often the answer lies outside the area the poster thinks is relevant and if one could see it immediately, it would save lots of questions an…
Re: annotated screenshots, there once was a module that allowed making snapshots of GTK windows as PDFs: https://github.com/nomeata/gtk-vector-screenshot Edit: here it is in action, with selectable text: https://www.joachim-breitner.de/various/pdf_screenshot_3.pdf
wow, that's awesome - thanks for sharing! :)
I'm surprised it's not more popular though, but I guess it has remained undiscovered like it was for me until now, or it's simply not as useful to others as I would think. Maybe because not all apps are GTK3 apps, or people don't want pdf's because they can't be inlined on a issue ticket like plain old images can, for example?
Re: Take Better Screenshots
#19To OP -- in the spirit of the article -- it's an uphill task to separate the content from the witticisms here. IMO it would have been a better read with fewer jokes.
I agree. I gave up and went straight to HN comments.
Re: Take Better Screenshots
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
What's the alternative?
Learning to describe your problem. Specific knowledge aside, I am always astonished that people not being able to coherently read and write is getting worse. That's something YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook don't teach I guess?
i can do that very well thank you, i just don't have the time budget. i also don't have time to spend on deciphering the problem from a description from even a well-spoken user if a single screenshot would be self-explanatory.
of course it's useful to be able to describe the problem, but most of the time there's no ROI and opportunity cost is prohibitive.