OLPC and the GUI

People in the Silver Building used to call it ‘shriek’.

If we don’t like the pling, we could start by not including it when it shouldn’t be present. It’s “Configure”, not “!Configure”; it lives in the “!Configure” application folder.

I notice you later use the phrase “I’d suggest that it should depend on context. :-)” which is interesting because I said !Configure to denote the application directory as opposed to any other directory on the system labelled simply Configure which my memory says exists.
I wonder what newcomers make of such things.

I share Steve’s view: the ! is merely a hint for the Filer (to power !Boot, !Run and !Sprites). It serves no other purpose.

I was sick of seeing !EasiWrite written down. It is called EasiWriter.

It would indeed be a simp!e tweak to the Filer to hide the ! from the display (there is a bold claim!), but I don’t think it compares to, say, the lack of WiFi, as something worth worrying about.

Even if I pick a simpler one: show a new user the Apps icon. Then click on the main boot drive icon, and explain the difference between $.Apps and the Apps icon. Or why you can’t extract a zip to the desktop (as mentioned here the other day).

(the ‘A’ really meant Advanced, not Acorn!)

My recall is that the name was changed due to the link up with Apple for Newon. Am I wrong?

I would stop short of calling it ugly, but it sure feels dated – stuck in time somewhere around Windows NT and Windows 95.

I find this really interesting. When I used Acorn machines back in the day, when they were competing in the real world with PCs and Macs, I used to get very frustrated that the desktop looked so clunky – many RISC OS apps were actually very capable in comparison to their mainstream counterparts, but they didn’t often look like they would be. I spent ages fiddling with desktop themes (the Raspberry theme toolsprites were my design) in an attempt to see how far things could be brought up to date.

Years later, and now that RISC OS is a very niche OS indeed, I’m much less bothered by it. That’s partly because, in my opinion, PC and Macs UIs are much less nice than they used to be, both visually and in terms of being intuitive. They seem over-designed to me, relying on guesswork half the time, with very few consistent standards and lots of flashy effects that achieve little. Maybe I’m just getting old!

I’d welcome some modest improvements to the Desktop look, but I find RISC OS’s unflashy approach rather comforting these days. What I would like to see is more conformity with the Style Guide, so that things like key-presses and menu layouts work the same way across all apps. This situation is much better than it used to be, but it’s always nice to see apps fall into line, making the Desktop work seamlessly.

They seem over-designed to me, relying on guesswork half the time, with very few consistent standards and lots of flashy effects that achieve little. Maybe I’m just getting old!

If you’re getting old then I fear for the desktop support staff in their 20s that make similar disparaging comments.
I think it’s the same type of character we see designing all the impractical stuff you see every day.
Today’s example – sofas with arms that are almost at your armpit thus making it really uncomfortable to sit with your forearm on the arm of the sofa. Reject.

An interesting discovery was the electric reclining sofas and chairs with built in USB power¹. I wonder if I can get a mount arm for the keyboard and display :)

¹ OK, that’s probably not new but I don’t go shopping much. Apparently it’s a “charge your phone/tablet” type thing but the phone will only occupy the end nearest the door.

That’s partly because, in my opinion, PC and Macs UIs are much less nice than they used to be, both visually and in terms of being intuitive.

I think what went wrong here was Apple threw away the wood grain effects and the buttons that looked like buttons and replaced it all with massive areas of white that probably gave design students orgasms (because they were too young – us older people looked at it and thought “oh my God, it looks like Windows 3”.

A rapid update to iOS introduced a plain background for buttons, because as it turns out, just having random bits of the screen being active with no damn highlighting of what’s what is actually bonkers.

But, still, the orgasms continued and pretty soon Android was stripped down. Then Windows not only tried a more stripped approach (having previously gone ridiculously in the other direction with Vista’s Aero theme) but they also attempted to conflate a desktop UI with a mobile UI. Given the two are used entirely differently, it was the expected car crash.

Does RISC OS look dated? Yes. Of course.

Is RISC OS clear and obvious? Indeed. To the point where it is extremely clear which button in a dialogue will be actioned in you press Return. You know, little usability features like that which can make a big difference.

reclining sofas and chairs with built in USB power

I hope it is flame retardant material!

but they also attempted to conflate a desktop UI with a mobile UI. Given the two are used entirely differently, it was the expected car crash.

Which Apple are now going to emulate with macOS 10.16/11.

Does RISC OS look dated? Yes. Of course.

At least we can add our own touches. I didn’t like the isometric folders so I adopted the folder theme from RISC OS 4.39 & coloured them Acorn blue.

I hope it is flame retardant material!

Can’t speak for euro-legislation¹ but in the UK you can’t even sell second hand furniture that doesn’t have a fire retardant tag attached. If you lost it in the years you used the furniture all you have is scrap (or you could take it to a specialist firm for reupholstering)

Besides, all things considered the iPhone is more likely to self combust.

I was thinking more of the couch potato aspect – particularly since several of the available models had matching (upholstered) drinks seat/table items.
Chris said she could see at least one of the cats sitting on that and looking at the drinks holders with an expectation of a cat food offering in each receptacle.

¹ I thought this was EU wide.

Besides, all things considered the iPhone is more likely to self combust.

Don’t joke – I’m a Zafira owner!

Don’t joke – I’m a Zafira owner!

It’s built into me, I think it’s just after breathing in the list.