30 years later, QBasic is still the best

Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by todd8 on Thursday May 05, 2016 @01:04PM (#11637867)

The real problem is there is no ISO Standard for the appliance interfaces. Do you press power level first? Or time first. Is it Forth like, numbers then operation or Haskell like, Function then number. My refrigerator has illuminated bars indicating how cold it is set for. Even after downloading a pdf of the user guide I can't figure out if I'm setting it correctly. Placing a thermometer inside and using trial and error solved the problem (after a few frozen bags of spinach).

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by david-given on Thursday May 05, 2016 @05:18PM (#11639729)

My microwave has two knobs. One for power, one for time. It turns on automatically when you turn the timer and turns off automatically (sounding a mechanical bell) when the timer hits zero.

I believe the timer is clockwork.

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by marssaxman on Thursday May 05, 2016 @06:04PM (#11639998)

I used one of those microwaves once. Best interface ever, and so much simpler than the high-tech beepy button matrix! Do microwave manufacturers just not realize that they're making their products worse by complicating them? I don't get it.

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by eru on Friday May 06, 2016 @07:45AM (#11643225)

Knobs are more expensive than buttons?

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by david-given on Friday May 06, 2016 @08:34AM (#11643491)

Actually, yes. Anything with a moving part is painfully expensive, which is why cheap monitors try to reduce the number of buttons or use capacitative touch-sensitive controls.

Touch-sensitive membrane buttons like the ones the use on the front of microwaves are much cheaper than mechanical timers.

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by majewsky on Friday May 06, 2016 @08:22AM (#11643425)

I have one like these, and it's amazing. They should have stopped designing new shit after these. :)

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by evincarofautumn on Thursday May 05, 2016 @08:48PM (#11640887)

My family had a microwave like that for ages, and I loved it. I think it was over 20 years old by the time they got a new one, because it was so rugged and easy to use.

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by eru on Friday May 06, 2016 @07:46AM (#11643229)

And if you want something fancier, add just one more knob for grill-power.

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by TeMPOraL on Thursday May 05, 2016 @03:43PM (#11639134)

Personally I think problems people have with appliances like microwave ovens are a combination of fear and intellectual laziness (aka. not expecting to have to figure out anything for themselves anymore). Probably the same thing as with computers in general[0].

Most of appliances provide functions expected from devices of their class and follow obvious patterns that you quickly internalize. I have a running bet with my friends that I can operate any electronic appliance without a manual. The hardest case I've ever had so far was setting the clock on a microwave that provided alternative functionality under "START" button when the oven doors were open. It took me a few minutes to crack that one.

[0] - https://xkcd.com/627/

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by nsxwolf on Thursday May 05, 2016 @02:10PM (#11638446)

And why does every single key press have to beep??

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by TeMPOraL on Thursday May 05, 2016 @03:37PM (#11639093)

So that you know it worked. Even without looking at the small display that also usually changes in response.

This is what I miss about older technology - especially dumbphones. The input always worked, and always worked with the same timing. I could operate my Sony Ericsson K800i without looking at the screen because my brain memorized the sequences of buttons and timings of common operations. Joystick press, up, up, press, down, press, wait about a second, press, done. Compare with Android phones which routinely ignore or misinterpret input ("that was a swipe, not a press!"), and hang at unpredictable moments for unpredictable amount of time (usually also ignoring input while hung).

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by copperx on Thursday May 05, 2016 @08:11PM (#11640720)

Input lag is the mortal sin of UI design, and it's ignored everywhere except on dedicated appliances (touch phone, microwave, fridge). Instant response is not a given. I wish OS designers treated the user as a real-time system with hard deadlines.

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by nsxwolf on Thursday May 05, 2016 @06:56PM (#11640330)

But I can't microwave something late at night without waking the whole house up!

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by TeMPOraL on Thursday May 05, 2016 @07:01PM (#11640360)

Your keys are actually louder than the microwave itself? :o.

(At least every microwave I ever operated was pretty loud when cooking.)

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by nsxwolf on Friday May 13, 2016 @09:54AM (#11690405)

The magnetron fan is white noise, but the beeps are shrill and piercing.

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by mwcampbell on Thursday May 05, 2016 @03:38PM (#11639096)

One benefit, though not necessarily intended by the manufacturers, is that blind users get some kind of feedback for each keypress, since there's usually no tactile feedback on a microwave.

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Re:30 years later, QBasic is still the best by bemmu on Thursday May 05, 2016 @09:02PM (#11640948)

I once spent half an hour reading the microwave manual (in Japanese) looking for some hidden way to disable the beeps. If you hold down one of the keys for over 5 seconds it puts you in silent mode, also disabling the annoying melody when heating is finished.

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