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Splash screens == sloth

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Re: Splash screens == sloth

#171

Post by Turing_Machine »

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #37
DrJokepu wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yeah, I'm using it in the project I've got in development right now -- actually sort of a hybrid approach. It's a grayed-out version of the main UI, with a "Loading..." message overlaid. I think that's a pretty common approach (graying it out, with or without an explicit message).

The app needs to load something close to 200 fonts (it's a design-oriented app). If they're not all present, the font choice list won't render properly. Lazy-loading isn't really an option -- otherwise the user will be sitting there watching the UI slooowwwlly render each font choice, one by one, while he waits to do something with them. Better to take the hit at startup, IMO, rather than making the user pause while he's in the middle of creating something.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#172

Post by freehunter »

Zarel wrote: post #168
freehunter wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Their interface is the same. Are you utterly blind? Stop looking at the UX as a programmer and imagining the complexity of the features. The actual screen is displaying exactly the same stuff. Seriously? I mean, my Dodge Neon has the same gas, brake, clutch and steering wheel that a Ferrari 599 has, why doesn't it 0-60 as fast? Stop comparing engine size and complexity, it has all the superficial elements of a spor…

I think I understand what he's saying. Sure, your Dodge Neon may take longer to go 0-60 (i.e. it's okay if Photoshop is slower overall), but there would be something wrong with it if it takes significantly longer just to get in the car (i.e. Photoshop shouldn't take longer to boot up).

No, I think the engine metaphor is pretty apt. I completely understand what he's saying, but the alternative he seems to imply is no better. Why would I want the interface to load but not be able to use it for another 45 seconds? Okay, so I'm in my car (clicked on the shortcut) but I won't be able to go anywhere (use the application) for a few minutes because it's slow to accelerate (load). Who cares about the max speed of your car as long as it 0-60s in a reasonable amount time?

Either way it's going to take some time to load because it's a big application. One way lets you know it's working, the other makes you think it has frozen as you're fruitlessly clicking around. The interface is the least important thing in the application until it's fully loaded.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#173

Post by toast76 »

I hate it when people say "I switch my phone on and it starts instantly". No it doesn't. My iphone takes about a minute to start...of course I never switch it off, so it's not a problem.

If you never "turn off" Photoshop or Office, they too will appear the instant you click on them. Amazing!

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#175

Post by tjoff »

Imagine if your phone or iPad took as long to boot as a Windows laptop. Would you use it? Would it be usable?

My android phone (Nexus S) takes longer than my 6 year old Windows laptop do (sure, it's updated with an SSD but even without it would be a close call), my mothers tablet isn't faster either. Solution? I never turn either off. Problem solved.

Hibernate for longer sessions, sleep if battery isn't important and I know I will use it for the next few days.

On my workstation I never turn off heavy applications anyway. On my laptop I'm limited by my 32 bit Win7 OS so that's a burden, but I can work with it. The 8 GB I have in my workstation isn't ideal either, tempted to get a 24 or 32 GB machine but probably can't justify replacing the current machine just yet. I see no reason to get less RAM on a new setup though.

Also I really appreciate having the whole application ready. Having parts of it lazy-load can be way more agonizing than a slow boot. And with an SSD you don't have to wait long anyway, I always tend to fiddle with other windows during the boot so I'm not that annoyed. The splash screen itself can be annoying if it claims window focus or is just in the way but they exist for a reason. There should something telling me that the application is booting (firing up a task manager doesn't count), I agree that there are less obtrusive ways for this than a splash screen though and for that OS developers should be blamed for not realizing this.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#176

Post by nknight »

darrikmazey wrote: post #108

While as a programmer I understand that perhaps this load time could be improved, and maybe splash screens are a lazy solution, but I wonder if it warrants this level of anger. Even assuming a generous 5 minute load time on photoshop (I don't know as I don't use it, but I doubt it's that much), and that you reload twice a day (once at the beginning of the day and maybe once after lunch), and you use it every weekday…

He wrote a rant on his blog, he didn't kill anyone. What exactly would be "proportional"? Never speaking a word when something annoys you?

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#177

Post by kzrdude »

powertower wrote: post #59
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…

Sounds to me like he's either temporarily enraged, or is trying to get fired. The spashscreen does 1 thing, it tells the user that the app is loading and you don't need to click the exe/icon again. His solution to a 5-10 second load time is to provide a fake UI, record phantom mouse clicks, and also give the user a game to play, only makes everything worse. Some apps have to initialize, and without that you are left…

> The spashscreen does 1 thing, it tells the user that the app is loading and you don't need to click the exe/icon again.

This is the wrong way to notify. Let its dock icon bounce on (or similar), instead of obscuring the center of the working area on the computer.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#178

Post by indiecore »

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…

Ironically the experience of pirating an adobe product seems much simpler than the anti-piracy measures you've described.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#179

Post by ec429 »

Solution: don't use monolithic applications with bloated GUIs. Instead, use small, simple tools, driven from the command line where possible. If the problem domain is naturally graphical, have a lightweight graphical frontend driving the small simple tools through shellouts or a plugin or library interface.

In other words, use UNIX.

This isn't difficult to understand, guys.

Re: Splash screens == sloth

#180

Post by kylebrown »

chc wrote: post #115
why-el wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1. I find that extremely annoying. Some times I reopen a window of preview let's say just to close the whole program.

You know you could just close it from the Dock or application switcher, right?

Yes but that requires a click-and-hold, causing the whole dock to resize for the pop-up menu, which is quite slow on my 32-bit MBP maxed out at 2GB RAM. I find it quicker to just click the Preview icon (causing a new window to open as the focus switches), and command+q.
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