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Splash screens == sloth

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Re: Splash screens == sloth

#31

Post by jiggy2011 »

jsavimbi wrote: post #27
techdog wrote: post #2

I don't think the guy will lose his job. Do you? He is addressing a very real issue. Adobe should read this.

> He is addressing a very real issue. He adressed nothing beyond his hate for the splash screen, which has seen its time imo, but nonetheless has nothing on many of the other features and tools that Adobe puts out when it comes to bloat. If Adobe really cared about the user, they don't because they own the brand name synonymous with image manipulation, they would at least make an attempt to tailor the application to…

I'm not sure how they would "tailor the application to the specific user's needs" as it would be clearly impractical to develop different versions for each of their millions of customers.

Photoshop (for example) is pretty extensible and has support for plugins as well as scripting capabilities etc, not sure what else you want?

Also part of the reason that adobe is the industry standard is that their applications are consistant and a designer who hops jobs can easily get upto speed in a new environment without having to learn a completely new tool.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#32

Post by klez »

jnorthrop wrote: post #23

I wonder how Kas Thomas feels about the credit roll that occurs at the start of a movie? You know the one where they show the logo of the movie studio, then the production company, then the producer, editor, et al. I see the software splash screen in the same light. It is giving credit to those who have put it together. Now, obviously entertainment is different then a work application, but many of us feel that softwa…

Except they don't show the splash screen to praise who made the program. It's just to give you something to do while you wait. Just like reading shampoo bottles' labels in the bathroom.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#33

Post by rsanchez1 »

motoford wrote: post #18

Don't you think it's odd he is complaining about splash screens when Adobe is responsible for the worst thing to ever happen to the web -- those stupid flash intros ? Talk about a waste of time, you had to wait for the time waster to load and then wait for it to play

He's got first-hand experience to back up his complaining.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#34

Post by darxius »

Maro wrote: post #11

This weekend the 3G mysteriously stopped working on my iPhone, so after months of use, I rebooted it. Rebooting the iPhone takes 1+ minute, and there _is_ a kind of splash screen shown during that time. The reason it appears instantenous during normal use is that it doesn't actually boot or load, it just turns the display back on. Also, many iOS apps actually have splash screens, you just don't see them very often as…

> If you have an SSD (like your iPhone), then swapping Photoshop back into main memory will also be much faster.

I think the point the author is trying to make is that it shouldn't be up to the consumer to spend more money to make their programs run faster. Software reform is what's needed and "just buy an ssd" is a very strong argument.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#35

Post by billjings »

rauljara wrote: post #28

Louis CK has a fantastic rant about people complaining about technology being too slow (and technology, in general). It helped to put my own rage in perspective. I find myself getting less pissed at technology since watching it, and I kind of hope that lasts. (NSFW) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grxL5umOE6g&feature=relat...

I love Louis CK as much as the next guy, but he's not a technologist, and his perspective is not helpful to us in this context. In life, sure - have patience. Keep it in perspective. Appreciate what you have, and don't rage against things you can't change.

This rant is not about life, though, it is about what makes for good and bad software. Which happens to be what we do for a living. In the grand scheme of things, we're all dead, and software doesn't matter. While we're here, though, it's not a bad thing to get bent out of shape about the things that bug us about it. It's our job to make this little area of the universe better. I think taking that seriously is a good thing.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#36

Post by tintin »

JS_startup wrote: post #25

I don't understand what he's angry about. Photoshop, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, these are all enormously complicated programs that require resources to load. That doesn't make them bloatware and it doesn't make the programmers lazy. His proposed solution sucks too. Show the UI while it's loading so the user can impotently click around waiting for the program to "turn on". Windows does this when it boots up and it…

You are wrong.

Everytime I start Blender (3D content creation suite) I'm blown away by the time it takes to start. Less than 2 seconds! Ready to use!

Do I call Blender a complicates program? Yes I do. The feature list can compete with the one of 3ds Max.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#37

Post by MatthewPhillips »

DrJokepu wrote: post #30
Maro wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iOS apps that I have that use splash screens: Facebook, Linkedin, Flickr, IMDB, Dropbox, Angry Birds, Skype, iGo, Quotes, PCalc Lite...

This practice actually goes against the recommendation of iOS Human Interface Guidelines, although it doesn't seem like Apple actually enforces it: Display a launch image that closely resembles the first screen of the application. This practice decreases the perceived launch time of your application. Avoid displaying an About window or a splash screen. In general, try to avoid providing any type of startup experience…

That's a bit surprising to me. I haven't noticed this (not much of an app person), do many apps use the recommended technique? Personally I would find a splash screen that looks like the first screen to be confusing.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#38

Post by AGorilla »

jnorthrop wrote: post #23

I wonder how Kas Thomas feels about the credit roll that occurs at the start of a movie? You know the one where they show the logo of the movie studio, then the production company, then the producer, editor, et al. I see the software splash screen in the same light. It is giving credit to those who have put it together. Now, obviously entertainment is different then a work application, but many of us feel that softwa…

Those haven't been at the start of a movie for 40 years.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#39

Post by zoul »

ssharp wrote: post #17
zoul wrote: post #6

I hate Adobe software with passion. I used to love Macromedia Fireworks, so that I bought a copy of Fireworks after Adobe acquired Macromedia. I had to jump through some crazy hoops to prove that I did not steal the product, and that was nothing compared to what I had to do after buying a new computer – it turns out that I was supposed to unactivate the product on the old one and then activate on the new one. This is…

Do you think Pixelmator is a good replacement for Fireworks? Fireworks has been really great at allowing me to quickly mock-up different web layout concepts without having to write any HTML code. I know some are in the "concept with HTML camp", but I've found Fireworks to be so much faster. I've never bothered too much with Photoshop since Fireworks did 90% of what I wanted. I'm like many, however, in grumbling about…

I have moved from webdesign so that I no longer need the design features I admired on Fireworks. What I liked most about Fireworks was the blend between the vector and bitmap graphics, and I don’t think that Pixelmator is getting anywhere close to that. But it’s worth to take a look. Also try out Acorn (http://flyingmeat.com/acorn/). I think both have a free evaluation.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#40

Post by zokier »

I for one prefer seeing splash screen for couple of seconds[1] rather than having laggy/half-functional UI appear instantly. Actually I'm more annoyed by Windows login, which shows desktop early while it's still starting up background apps, and thus being unusably slow.

And the comparisons to mobile devices are just ridiculous. At least in my use, I'd estimate that on average apps on my desktop launch much more quickly than on my Android phone. And I challenge anyone to find a smartphone that boots up faster than a fresh Windows 7 install on a SSD (or even on a regular HDD).

[1] I just timed: Photoshop 5 seconds, Word 2 seconds, both from warm caches. And that's with a 4 year old budget laptop.

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