Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac:23797 comp.sys.mac.programmer:3473
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!bellcore!rutgers!mailrus!husc6!lloyd!kent
From: kent@lloyd.camex.uucp (Kent Borg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Disabled Menu Items -- Cons and Pros
Message-ID: <280@lloyd.camex.uucp>
Date: 9 Dec 88 03:54:31 GMT
References: <7743@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> <6000@hoptoad.uucp> <6001@hoptoad.uucp> <6004@hoptoad.uucp>
Reply-To: kent@lloyd.UUCP (Kent Borg)
Organization: Camex, Inc., Boston, Mass USA
Lines: 27


[discussion about wanting to make choices from _disabled_ menu items]




You mean you want the machine that tries to elimate modes to have 2
modes for every single disablable menu item??  Does that mean that the
disabled item should blink 3 times too?, or do you just leave it to
the user to be confused enough without the confirming blinks?

Applications should be well enough designed that the user is not
confused with disabled menu items.  If the user _is_ confused, then it
is the fault of the application's user interface design.  Don't ask to
fix bad programs by breaking the larger interface.

There is room for improvement in the Macintosh user interface, but
that doesn't mean that every gripe should get the first kludge you can
think of applied to it.



Kent Borg
kent@lloyd.uucp
or
hscfvax!lloyd!uucp