From: Jon Glass (jonglass_at_usa.net)
Date: Fri Nov 26 2004 - 00:27:50 PST
On Nov 25, 2004, at 7:22 PM, Christian Matzerath wrote:
> "Microsoft's usability tests have shown that ..."
>
> Microsoft is doing usability tests?! Since when??
>
For me, the most telling sentence is the very last:
"Gestures are never going to be for everyone, so I don't want to impose
them. But we can make them an option."
Basically, this whole experiment is nothing more than an intellectual
exercise for them! The Newton, at least, attempted to revolutionize the
whole interface, and make it desirable for everyone. In fact, to some
extent, later, they succeeded. However, I think it was still a little
to much before its time. In fact, IMNSHO, I believe that it was the
initial failure of the Newton's HWR to live up to expectations that has
caused the _major_ back-pedaling and tiptoeing regarding HWR in _every_
platform ever since! To put it in other words, it is the initial
failure of the Newton's original HWR that has caused all the FUD over
HWR ever since! It's kind of sad, really, because there was _tons_ of
Human engineering and usability testing that went into the entire
interface, and which still hold, and could, and _should_ be used by all
pen-based OSs, but which are not! And this is all because they are
gun-shy of the NOS.
I wish somebody were brave enough to rip off the human interface
elements of the NOS, and put them into a modern device without the
Newton "legacy." I can bet it would be an immediate hit. The Palm was
an attempt at this, but I believe they gave up too much--took out too
much of the non-HWR elements, thus destroying the Palm.
Them's my thoughts for what they are worth. :-)
-- -Jon Glass Krakow, Poland <jonglass_at_usa.net> -- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/ WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
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