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Re:PaintCode 2 by mournit on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @03:27PM (#7712173)
I am feeling increasingly frustrated by product websites that assume I already know what their product is. This seems to be especially prevalent on sites of tools meant for developers.

Please, don't make me have to guess by reading your tooltips, feature blurbs, and customer quotes like they are puzzle pieces to the question of "what the hell is this thing!"

At least PaintCode is kind enough to give an overview in their documentation.

Re:PaintCode 2 by shaunol on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @05:13PM (#7712688)
This is becoming an increasingly common and frustrating thing for products posted here to HN.

How did this product even get to the front page when it's almost impossible to actually tell what it is or the problems it solves?

I scrolled down past the screenshot expecting to read an introduction about it and now we're suddenly talking about StyleKits??? Huh?

E: Quite ironic that the URI path is /intro and the main header "Introducing PaintCode 2", when the page does everything except introduce the product.

Re:PaintCode 2 by fredsted on Thursday May 08, 2014 @01:59AM (#7714119)
>How did this product even get to the front page when it's almost impossible to actually tell what it is or the problems it solves

Just read the first couple lines on the screenshot. It's the first thing you read when you visit the page:

"Use built-in vector drawing tools to design controls" and "PaintCode instantly generates Objective-C or C# code from your drawings"

That's explanation enough for me, didn't you see that?

Re:PaintCode 2 by evv on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @04:05PM (#7712353)
Oh, really? I don't personally develop iOS apps, but as a technical guy, I understood what this thing is within 10 seconds of the page loading.

It is a technical product with a niche. Maybe they weren't trying to market to you?

Re:PaintCode 2 by ertdfgcb on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @04:18PM (#7712408)
I was pretty sure I knew what it was in 10 seconds, but they didn't tell me, so I had to guess. My guess was slightly off - I thought this was for making websites. It's better they tell me what their thing does rather than making me guess, even if it's an easy guess.
Re:PaintCode 2 by flyingyeti on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @08:07PM (#7713303)
Agree 100%. I had the same thought process and assumed it was a tool for websites until I noticed the Objective-C syntax in the code screenshots.
Re:PaintCode 2 by johnward on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @03:30PM (#7712181)
My first impression when I got to the page was ok what does this thing do? A simple blurb about what this thing is may have sparked some interest.
Re:PaintCode 2 by SaladFork on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @04:05PM (#7712351)
For those looking:

> PaintCode is a vector drawing app that turns your drawings into Objective-C or C# drawing code in real time.

Re:PaintCode 2 by icoder on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @05:24PM (#7712728)
I glanced over the website and missed that, now on mobile I'm only reading the comments and see that it is quite relevant for me. So thanks :)
Re:PaintCode 2 by scoot on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @06:10PM (#7712914)
You didn't miss it - it doesn't say that anywhere in one sentence on the linked page.
Re:PaintCode 2 by jasonlotito on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @11:23PM (#7713783)
When I loaded the page, it said this:

"Drawing Tools - Use built-in vector drawing tools to design controls, icons and other graphic elements."

And

"Code Generation - PaintCode instantly generates Objective-C or C# code from your drawings."

Seems obvious to me what it does. I literally have to do nothing besides open my eyes to get that information. Couple that with the screenshot, and the name, and the fact that the price is presented front and center, I can't help but wonder what information is missing?

Re:PaintCode 2 by vacri on Thursday May 08, 2014 @02:02AM (#7714125)
I literally have to do nothing besides open my eyes to get that information.

What the other people are asking for is no different here. The core functionality of the product is presented in miniblurbs, which most other websites use as feature explanations instead. It's not hard to see why people didn't snap to those immediately as descriptions of the purpose of the product.

Also, as a neurophysiologist with an interest in attention and cognition, you literally had to do a lot more than just open your eyes to get that information.

Re:PaintCode 2 by jasonlotito on Thursday May 08, 2014 @12:02PM (#7715996)
> you literally had to do a lot more than just open your eyes to get that information.

If you are going to get that anal about the use of the word literally, you shouldn't abuse it yourself. And you complain about the quality of comments here.

Re:PaintCode 2 by vacri on Thursday May 08, 2014 @06:09PM (#7718016)
You were schooling someone about how little effort it took to find information. I'm saying that there is more effort required than just opening your eyes - it's hardly abusing the word 'literally'. In any case, if you think my comment hinged on the word 'literally', you've misunderstood it.

And you complain about the quality of comments here.

You even italicised 'you', specifying me in particular. Are you going to call me anal again because I say I don't do that? Feel like backing up your claims? My comment history is there. You make it sound like a regular issue for me.

If you want me to complain about comments, how about this: "I don't like comments that simply make shit up out of thin air like that, because the author is just feeling sour and feels the need to strike out at something".

Re:PaintCode 2 by npizzolato on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @08:59PM (#7713448)
Very similar text appears if you hover over the bottom right yellow dot. Why the most important sentence on the page is hidden behind a mouse over is beyond me.
Re:PaintCode 2 by jasonlotito on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @11:24PM (#7713788)
It displays by default. It only hides if you mouse over other yellow dots and look at other information.
Re:PaintCode 2 by jasonlotito on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @11:25PM (#7713793)
When I loaded the page, it said this:

"Drawing Tools - Use built-in vector drawing tools to design controls, icons and other graphic elements."

And

"Code Generation - PaintCode instantly generates Objective-C or C# code from your drawings."

Seems obvious to me what it does. I literally have to do nothing besides open my eyes to get that information.

Couple that with the screenshot, and the name, and the fact that the price is presented front and center, I can't help but wonder what information is missing?

Re:PaintCode 2 by jamra on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @07:48PM (#7713246)
Paintcode is like a niche photoshop for iOS. You draw graphics inside the program and it gives you the custom drawing code in objective c.

The use case is if you decide to draw something custom in iOS like a specialized progress bar or a control that you wish to animate as you scroll your finger across the screen, you can make it much easier with this tool.

Re:PaintCode 2 by iambateman on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @04:36PM (#7712514)
I downloaded it and wasn't sure what it was. Still not sure. ;)
Re:PaintCode 2 by thenomad on Wednesday May 07, 2014 @04:34PM (#7712493)
Yep, I had no idea what it was either.

And it looked interesting!

Re:PaintCode 2 by CatMtKing on Thursday May 08, 2014 @01:16AM (#7714046)
Looks like Flash for iOS apps.