Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Anti-Mac Interface (1996)

nngroup.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 138 posts

Re: The Anti-Mac Interface (1996)

#21

Post by hrktb »

vbezhenar wrote: post #5

> We seem to have settled on the WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointer) model, and there is very little real innovation in interface design anymore. It's an interesting exercise to compare this to the mobile platforms, e.g. iOS. Windows are gone. Icons are here. Menus are changed. Pointer is changed too (your finger is pointer, not an abstract arrow). Though on OS X desktop I don't see any innovations at all! May be I…

> Probably gestures are an innovation, but it isn't used widely except in operating system windows manager and Safari

I give a lot more credit to the multitouch trackpad.

Gestures are a great (and they work basically anywhere there are clear 'back'/'forward' navigation actions), scrolling is actually more efficient and painless than with one or more wheels; we also got rid of physical fixed buttons.

I initially switched to a magic trackpad to see if it would alleviate RSI like problems, but for how I use it I found it way more efficient than the mouse in the end.

I think the advances in trackpad usability on OS X are the main reason there is less pressure to have a touch screen.

Re: The Anti-Mac Interface (1996)

#22

Post by ams6110 »

brudgers wrote: post #19
joshuapants wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> tiling window managers A tiny fraction of the already small number of linux users > revival of vim-like keybindings Probably less small, but still miniscule. I do think it's safe to say the idea that "digital natives" would demand more powerful interfaces didn't come true.

Windows 8.1 has a tiling window interface. 8.0 tiled to a lesser degree.

I know windows 7 had the "snap" feature that let you tile two windows side-by-side by dragging one window to the left and the other to the right. Does Windows 8.1 do tiling any better/automatically?

Re: The Anti-Mac Interface (1996)

#23

Post by RRRA »

userbinator wrote: post #4

We predict that people who have grown up with computers will be much more capable as computer users than the current generation of users. Thus, they will be able to use (and will in fact, demand) expressive interfaces with advanced means of expressing their wants. How unfortunate that this did not turn out to be the case, and I think it's likely that is because most people liked the "simple and easy" Mac-like UIs wit…

It also hasn't been the case (yet, maybe?) to me mostly because we haven't been teaching computer science fundamentals in most schools, sadly...

And I mean learning fundamentals, not training for proprietary solutions like Office that isn't what high school is about.

Re: The Anti-Mac Interface (1996)

#24

Post by ams6110 »

digi_owl wrote: post #20
joshuapants wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> tiling window managers A tiny fraction of the already small number of linux users > revival of vim-like keybindings Probably less small, but still miniscule. I do think it's safe to say the idea that "digital natives" would demand more powerful interfaces didn't come true.

I wonder how much Windows 10 will add to that, as there you can drag windows into one of the corners to have it adopt a defined screen space.

Hm. Having to drag windows at all seems to be a serious deficiency in a "tiled" implementation.

Re: The Anti-Mac Interface (1996)

#25

Post by estel »

ams6110 wrote: post #22
brudgers wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Windows 8.1 has a tiling window interface. 8.0 tiled to a lesser degree.

I know windows 7 had the "snap" feature that let you tile two windows side-by-side by dragging one window to the left and the other to the right. Does Windows 8.1 do tiling any better/automatically?

I think this is referring to the Windows 8 apps?

Re: The Anti-Mac Interface (1996)

#27

Post by jimmaswell »

vbezhenar wrote: post #5

> We seem to have settled on the WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointer) model, and there is very little real innovation in interface design anymore. It's an interesting exercise to compare this to the mobile platforms, e.g. iOS. Windows are gone. Icons are here. Menus are changed. Pointer is changed too (your finger is pointer, not an abstract arrow). Though on OS X desktop I don't see any innovations at all! May be I…

It's not "stagnating", there's simply not much need to "innovate" it anymore. It works well for both new and advanced users. Changing the standard UI would just be a pointless frustration - see Windows 8.

Re: The Anti-Mac Interface (1996)

#28

Post by x5n1 »

vbezhenar wrote: post #5

> We seem to have settled on the WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointer) model, and there is very little real innovation in interface design anymore. It's an interesting exercise to compare this to the mobile platforms, e.g. iOS. Windows are gone. Icons are here. Menus are changed. Pointer is changed too (your finger is pointer, not an abstract arrow). Though on OS X desktop I don't see any innovations at all! May be I…

Gestures are 90s technology. There were shareware programs to facilitate that back then. There was no touch screen though. That's the difference.

Re: The Anti-Mac Interface (1996)

#29

Post by Swizec »

userbinator wrote: post #4

We predict that people who have grown up with computers will be much more capable as computer users than the current generation of users. Thus, they will be able to use (and will in fact, demand) expressive interfaces with advanced means of expressing their wants. How unfortunate that this did not turn out to be the case, and I think it's likely that is because most people liked the "simple and easy" Mac-like UIs wit…

> The point about "user control" is odd though, since that's basically the exact opposite of the Apple philosophy today, and even the older Macs seemed more opaque and with less user control than the PCs of the time.

As an advanced user, I don't want more control. I want defaults that are good enough that I never want to change them.

Every hour I spend tinkering with my computer, is an hour I didn't spend achieving useful work. Sometimes yak shaving is useful, most of the times it just keeps me from getting anything done.

Re: The Anti-Mac Interface (1996)

#30

Post by denniskane »

>the characteristics of the Internet desktop

Something like... "Ycombuntu"? https://www.urdesk.net/desk?l=yc

Granted, it looks just like a Macintosh, but there is much, much more to it than meets the eye. I am going to start really getting into some of those language concepts pretty soon (help needed)!

To see the site with my sales pitch to HN thrown in at the beginning: https://www.urdesk.net/desk?l=yc&r=1

Post reply on HN