From rssfeeds@jmason.org Thu Sep 26 16:33:54 2002 Return-Path: Delivered-To: yyyy@localhost.spamassassin.taint.org Received: from localhost (jalapeno [127.0.0.1]) by jmason.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D434716F17 for ; Thu, 26 Sep 2002 16:33:51 +0100 (IST) Received: from jalapeno [127.0.0.1] by localhost with IMAP (fetchmail-5.9.0) for jm@localhost (single-drop); Thu, 26 Sep 2002 16:33:51 +0100 (IST) Received: from dogma.slashnull.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by dogma.slashnull.org (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g8QFRhg24232 for ; Thu, 26 Sep 2002 16:27:43 +0100 Message-Id: <200209261527.g8QFRhg24232@dogma.slashnull.org> To: yyyy@spamassassin.taint.org From: "hyatt@mozilla" Subject: Usability Problems with Mozilla Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 15:27:42 -0000 Content-Type: text/plain; encoding=utf-8 URL: http://www.mozillazine.org/weblogs/hyatt/#85409355 Date: Not supplied Blake blogs[1] about how mpt[2] wants Mozilla to look just like MSIE. I have to admit, the evidence is pretty compelling. I recall someone asking me, "Do you really agree with mpt's Top 10 list? He's quoted you at the top of the list!" Do I agree that those ten items mpt mentions are the top ten problems? Of course not. No two people will have the same top ten problems. Also keep in mind that mpt and I can agree that something is a problem without necessarily agreeing on the solution to the problem. Maybe we have different ideas regarding how to solve a particular issue, but we at least both believe it is an issue that needs to be addressed. That's something. To cover the list specifically: - Navigator chrome structure - While I don't necessarily agree with mpt's proposed default configuration, I do agree that the chrome structure is painfully restrictive, and that customizable toolbars need to be implemented in order for us to acquire the flexibility to deal with this problem. - Speed - can't argue with this, except to say that cutting out a lot of the useless UI and features from the chrome helps substantially. Reduce bloat, gain speed. - Text editing - if you use Chimera on the Mac, you'll see that the textfield widget is easily the most painful part of the entire application. It's buggy, slow, misbehaves, and doesn't edit the way you'd expect. This is IMO Chimera's top usability problem. - Message display - Yes. No argument here. - Search - Yeah, it's a mess. Don't know if it would be in my top ten, but it's a mess. - Menu structure - This gets back to my blog about how the apps should be separated. The menu structure has been complicated in order to deal with multiple applications. A clean separation naturally simplifies the menus (e.g., you can eliminate the New submenu easily). - Migration - A problem, but IMO not one of the top ten facing Mozilla. - Context menus - mpt complains about two-click context menus, and yet, the OS default on Win32 (overwhelmingly) is to bring up a context menu on a mouse up. If you don't like it, complain about Win32, but don't cite this as a Mozilla usability problem when we're following the conventions of the operating system. (We simply listen for the WM_CONTEXTMENU message. That message fires when Win32 wants to fire it.) - Validation - Err, no. Not a usability problem. To the average bear, this is completely irrelevant. - Preferences - IMO this should be much higher on the list. Preferences are a tangled pathetic mess. Again, separating prefs for individual apps into unique dialogs would simplify things a great deal, but we should also remove nearly half the preferences that exist from the GUI. Mozilla is ridiculously overconfigurable. [1] http://www.blakeross.com/archives/2002_08_18_index.html#80418641 [2] http://mpt.phrasewise.com