Re: New default theme

[Joel Becker <jlbec evilplan org>]

On Mon, Apr 30, 2001 at 10:46:37PM -0400, Owen Taylor wrote:
> The new look is basically the Raleigh theme I did for GTK+-1.2, so
> yes, it's boring and Windowesque, but I also think it's reasonably
> attractive (especially for something done by me rather than a better
> qualified artist), and plain enough to not get annoying too quickly.

	This is great, and that is fine.  The default should be plain
but not ugly.  Motif is both.

>  - Windows-style Check and Radio buttons.

	Though folks argue many styles, the Motif ones are ugly and
user-proven-indistinguishable.  While working on the configuration
screens for our product (The New Internet Computer - www.thinknic.com)
the number one complaint with the forms was the Motif check/radio
buttons in Netscape.  I ended up doing custom JavaScript with
artist-drawn images.  The only folks who understood the diamonds were
unix users.  Even long-time Windows folks needed to be taught.  This is
a huge improvement.

>    weird Motif option menu tab is gone, replaced by a double arrow.

	Thank heavens.  After the diamonds, this was the second largest
UI complaint.
	Those were, IMHO, the two true usability problems in the Motif
style.  Everything else is mostly attractiveness.  This point was driven
home quite well while working with non-unix users.

Joel

-- 

"Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung."  
        - Voltaire

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