zz,virt: Modes and Software Design

[Ted Nelson <ted@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Bek-- 

I guess you're not quite used to my style yet--

>As far as I know, having a mode-ful interface like this (with a 'mark
>mode' and a 'general mode') is generally considered a Bad Thing in
>user interface design.  That's not to say don't do it, just that it's ...

I don't give an expletive-deleted what is Generally Considered
 a Bad Thing.  My software designs have been on their own
 for thirtyeight years and they will continue in the direction
 already begun--

Oops.  Deep breath.

Sorry.  

The alternatives to "modes" are: 
 having 8000-button keyboards
 having formal input protocols with beginnings & ends.

I don't like either of these.  I believe I design
 very good modes.  You wanna see Modes,
 take a look at my Jot system, which users agreed
 (back when it existed) was the smoothest word
 processor they'd experienced. 

But yeah, it's easy to design modes badly.

ChrzT


At 12:54 AM 9/26/98 +1000, you wrote:
>Ted Nelson wrote:
>>> Ted, am I correct that the idea is that performing a marking
>>> operation enters "marking mode", and any operation other than
>>> marking or cursor moves (including quitting ZZ!) exits marking
>>> mode?
>> That's the style I like.
>[...] 
>> (Possibly we should have an "end command" command-- for use only
>> when necessary-- though I've already had perfectly good results by
>> typing an implausibly long string of numbers followed by "g", which
>> beeps and forgets :)
>
>As far as I know, having a mode-ful interface like this (with a 'mark
>mode' and a 'general mode') is generally considered a Bad Thing in
>user interface design.  That's not to say don't do it, just that it's
>often confusing to users.  Is there perhaps any other way we could do
>it?
>
>Gossamer
>
>-- 
>: Gossamer     gossamer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx  | Xanadoodler
>: http://www.tertius.net.au/~gossamer/  | And proud of it :)
>: This above all; to thine ownself be true, and it must follow, as the
>: night the day, thow canst not then be false to any man.
>: -- William Shakespeare, 'Hamlet'
>
>
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Theodor Holm Nelson, Visiting Professor of Environmental Information
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