On Wed, Dec 03, 2003 at 07:06:18PM +0000, John Levon wrote: > On Wed, Dec 03, 2003 at 06:56:19PM +0100, Andre Poenitz wrote: > > > > > If you really want, you can add two or three generic items (undo inner > > > > level, split inner box, merge adjacent boxes) but I doubt anybody ever > > > > will use them as soon as he discovered the keyboaerd short cuts. > > > > > > If I saw such menu entries I would be completely lost. > > > > Hm. Tooltip 'Read section x.y in the Userguide if you are lost'. > > Tooltips on menus are horrible. Furthermore, forcing the user into the > manuals for such a simple basic editing is horrible. > > > > I'd just think "what the fuck?". It's thoroughly bizarre and if you > > > can't see that there's really no point in trying to talk to you about > > > this :( > > > > You seem to assume that any UI different from OO/Word is non-intuitive, > > misleading etc. > > Sorry, I'm not. What I am saying is that when we do differ from what > people are used to, we'd better > > a) have some really really good reasons for it
I think we have this reason as we promise structured editing and deliver it. > b) better be really really careful to make it discoverable and easy to > learn Having it in the menu would make it discoverable, describing it in the UserGuide is sufficient in my opinion. > > So what are menus good for in general? To find rarely used stuff I > > suppose. > > Partially. The primary purpose of menus, though, is discoverability. Good. So the split box/remove box should go to Edit. > > > And if I am unsure about an item I just try it out and if the > > result puzzles me I'll look it up in the man page. > > You should always try to imagine users as "intelligent, but very busy". > If I have to constantly refer to the docs for basic editing operations, Users have do that 'discovery' exactly once. _Using_ the feature is, after all, really simple. > I'll just go use something else where the method is transparent and > clear. The method is transparent and clear. It just happens not to coincide with the one used in OOo and Word. Using the method is simple. So what's your main point now? That the user won't use LyX because he won't find out how a certain simple feature works even if it is described in detail in the UserGuide? To be honest, I don't care too much for such users. But I doubt there are any in this category at all. > > > Please look up what "direct manipulation" means. > > > > Where? Dictionary? > > http://www.usabilityfirst.com/glossary/main.cgi?function=display_term&term_id=200 > > (Actually by that rather strict definition, neither way is, but > certainly mine is a lot closer) Yes, box removing by <Backspace> is 'direct manipulation' according to this definition. What's wrong with this approach (especially if there's a corresponding entry in the Edit menu?) Andre'
