Re:The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline
by analog31 on Tuesday July 26, 2016 @08:43AM
(#12165177)
The use of metaphors worked when people didn't know what a computer was, and the only way to make its UI make sense was to mimic real-world objects. Now, this is no longer necessary. It's been 40 years.
My first computer had a text display and a manual, in 1983. I had no trouble teaching my college house mates how to use it for word-processing.
Everything else that I did with the computer involved text symbols such as GOTO. ;-)
Today, when I use most software, beyond a few familiar icons like the floppy disc symbol, I have to hover the cursor over each icon to figure out what it does. When I learn keyboard shortcuts for those icons, I use them, to reduce eyestrain and wrist fatigue. A great feature would be a single button that reveals all of the icon descriptors at once.
My first computer had a text display and a manual, in 1983. I had no trouble teaching my college house mates how to use it for word-processing.
Everything else that I did with the computer involved text symbols such as GOTO. ;-)
Today, when I use most software, beyond a few familiar icons like the floppy disc symbol, I have to hover the cursor over each icon to figure out what it does. When I learn keyboard shortcuts for those icons, I use them, to reduce eyestrain and wrist fatigue. A great feature would be a single button that reveals all of the icon descriptors at once.