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Re: [TeXmacs] Fundraising (interface comments)


Chronological Thread 
  • From: Henri Lesourd <address@hidden>
  • To: Michael Lachmann <address@hidden>
  • Cc: address@hidden
  • Subject: Re: [TeXmacs] Fundraising (interface comments)
  • Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 21:36:36 +0200
Michael Lachmann wrote:

i.e., OK, your users said that they "found the interface
almost unusable", but **why** ? Can they say which are
the precise things they feel are a problem ?


Things I like and don't like/bugs in the TeXmacs interface:

Don't like/bugs:
1. (this applies to novice users) Exmacs chords vs. regular chords. You
can switch modes, but by the time you discover how to, you aren't a
novice any more.
2. It is hard to see when the status line wants your attention, and why
the whole interface is stuck.
3. I just noticed that you can turn on Preferences->interactive
questions->In popup windows. That's great! But, the interface doesn't
really handle these well, in some cases. For example: If you try to
overwrite a file, a window pops up saying "file already exists, should I
overwrite: no", and waits for you to type yes or no, and the buttons are
'cancel' and 'ok'. 'ok' should mean overwrite, and 'cancel' don't
overwrite. instead, ok means 'ok, enter "no" as answer', and cancel is
probably something like 'cancel everythng', which in this case is don't
overwrite.
4. Crashes - though autosave usually work.
5. Handling of marked region (i.e. red region region seleted with mouse)
when you type, move around, or click wit hthe mouse. In the current
version, I think the problem is that when you click with the mouse
somewhere, the old region is not deselected. Too often it happens to me
that I start typing and delete text - this does not happen to me in
other programs.
I think the behaviour should be so:
click deselects current region.
shift-click selects from cursor to current location.
Movement keys (up-down-left-right, etc) deselect region.
Key-click while a region is selected, replaces region with text.
6. Keys to easily step out of an environment (for example R mode) into
text mode. (currently you have to click with the mouse, if I understand
correctly)
7. Some buttons in main interface turn to menus, but which? - this
should be easily fixed with a little triangle to indicate that a menu
will be opened. But I'm not sure that menus are neccessary on most of
these buttons. That's what the main menu is for.
8. (small bug) when 'about texmacs' opens, texmacs does not open empty
buffer, or the original file requested on command line
9. Regenerating font when certain buttons are clicked. I think fonts for
the whole interface should be available immediately (though a different
interface will probably handle fon't differently)
10. Each button/menu item lists a keyboard shortcut. But the pop-up text
for icons does not update when you switch from Emacs-like interface to
Windows-like (i.e. popup for the scissors is C-w, even though in the
interface C-w does close window, and C-x is cut.
11. Right-click should be more functional than giving an alternative
inteface to the main menu. One possibility is that what it does depends
on what is selected - right click on an image to resize, export etc.
12. Main menu behaviour: click opens a menu. A click on a different menu
closes the current menu, instead of opening that menu.
12a. You can not navigate menus with keys, or open menu with keys.
13. (tiny) why is spelling icon different from ones used in other
programs? By now, a 'check mark' is customary for a spell checker.
14. In "insert action", when you type the action, double quote (")
inserts '', and thus doesn't work (i.e. it is hard to insert the action
(system "xterm").
15. Editing links, images, actions, etc. is really an ugly cludge (if
the way I do it is really the right way...). You are supposed to put the
cursor behind the link/image/whatever, and press 'backspace', which will
enable you to edit the object. quite unintuitive...
16. Other than the menus and icons, it is quite hard to find keyboard
bindings. (something like C-h b in emacs, or a quick reference...)
17. You should be able to click below a box/interface in the text to
continue writing. Current you have to click to its right, and clicking
below does nothing, and gives no feedback.

This one is typical of the kind of things I get when people are pressed
to elaborate their criticism a little bit more. You discover that
in fact, lots or usual things are done in an unusual/idiosyncratic
way (and of course, because you are yourself somehow used to it,
you don't notice these things very easily).

Like:
1. Even though the file browser is different from other interfaces, and
because of the flat display with no button borders, and no indication
for text input areas, it is a bit different, but I think it is quite
functional (much better than, for example the mozilla file browser where
you can not type a directory)
2. With any action, you see the equivalet command on the status line.
3. I really like the light-blue outlines of regions.
4. Help system is quite good, especially the search feature.

It shows that the fact that the interface is unusual in some ways should
not lead us to forget that in some (and probably many) cases, it is in
fact **better** than lots of other ones (although one can always think
about improvements, of course).


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