RE: Don't overlook Simplicity.

[Gregory Leblanc <GLeblanc cu-portland edu>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Preben Randhol [mailto:randhol@pvv.org]
> Sent: Thursday, June 17, 1999 12:11 PM
> To: Bob Taylor
> Subject: Re: Don't overlook Simplicity.
> 
> 
> Bob Taylor <brtaylor@inreach.com> writes:
> 
> | I don't think "dumb or lazy" is appropriate labels for the 
> vast majority
> | of Windows users. Ignorant is a more accurate label. After 
> all, their total
> 
> This is very true and I think we are only shooting ourself in the foot
> if we lay it out so that they can stay ignorant. That is, at least
> expect them to be able and really read the documentation / help. This
> is something most do not do. I don't know how many times I've got the
> question : How do I do that? and then discover that the one asking
> haven't even bothered to press the help button right in front of
> him. These are M$ users. 
> 
> One reason here can be that the help system of Windows is very poor,
> and that the manuals that follow the programs are far to huge for a
> person to even bother/have time to reading them. 

IMHO, this is something that the GNOME project really need to make sure that
we do a good job of.  I work as a "Network Support Specialist" which means
that I have to write directions and show some VERY ignorant users how to do
things in windows.  I've written some very step-by-step instructions on how
to do things like install/configure printers or dialup, and they usually
come out being at the very least three or four pages of text.  This may not
seem long, but two pages explaining how to add the client for SMB networks
and the TCP/IP protocol is a lot.  The problem that I'm having with doing
anything similar for GNOME, or for any other *nix application that I'm
using, is that they aren't totally consistent.  I can't write directions
that say that you do EXACTLY this, because the files may be in a different
location, or they may not have the same panel that I do.  Part of this is
because of standards.  Microsoft IS their standard.  Linux can't do that,
because of different distributions and GNOME can't even get that close
because it runs on so many platforms/OSs.  I don't know if there is any way
around this, even if there was some sort of standards body to make "default"
configurations.  I think I've rambled enough for now, but please let me know
where I'm looking at this the wrong way, and maybe I'll start re-writing
some of the docs for GNOME that I think go about it the wrong way.  
	Greg.

> 
> We still expect people to learn how to drive a car, why shouldn't we
> expect them to learn how to use a computer which is far more complex?
> If there is proper documentation available.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Preben Randhol             oO     "Don't think about 
> domination,  think
> [randhol@pvv.org]        .`  ;     about freedom, it doesn't 
> dominate."
> [www.pvv.org/~randhol/]   \ G                  -- RMS, 
> LinuxWorld 1999.
>                            `_) n o m e 
> 
> 
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Gregory Leblanc
Concordia University
Network Support Specialist