On 11/29/2009 1:30:54 PM, Richard Jackson wrote:
>> On 11/29/2009 12:36:06 PM, Stuart Bruff wrote:
>> I believe, based on previous experience, that there should be an exceptional case or denying a user the capability to do something, no matter how confusing it *could* be. Do I need to mention SUC?
== In general, I agree with you. SUC is a bad example though, because they decided not to allow users to turn it off only because they couldn't think of a reason to do so, not because they thought of a reason why it would lead to significant problems.
My understanding is different. They had been given reasons why SUC could cause problems before release, and they certainly knew early on in M12's release, but it's only in Prime do we see a reversion to reality. SUC was there in the first place to stop the users playing with sharp edges - not a good move when some of the users like metaphorically fixing bayonets, or carrying out surgery, or even doing a bit of cookery in the kitchen.
== In this case if you make it easy for the user to make a program look like a part of the worksheet (either by turning off the box, or by making the box the same as a text region border, or whatever) there is absolutely no question that users will do it, and get themselves into a lot of trouble.
As amply demonstrated on the Collab, users can get themselves into a lot of trouble doing the Mathcad equivalent of tieing their shoelaces. However, I'm an optimist in that I think people can learn from their mistakes and avoid such things. We have similar little quirks throughout Mathcad (eg, literal v indicial subscripting) but it clicks eventually. Part of the advantage Mathcad's appeal is its presentation (much though it needs improving) and I wouldn't wish to find myself contrained in how *I* organize my worksheets by the need to stop a beginner or infrequent user getting a paper cut. As with subscripts, clicking on a region should show what it is and its scope, so users with access to the worksheet should be able to sort things out readily enough. If the default out-of-the-box template has Box borders on, then it would require a deliberate act to turn them off, at which point it should be caveat emptor.
I attach four examples of Boxes (emulated using text regions), only one of which has bordered Boxes. The existence of the actual boundaries should act to give a reasonable visual discrimination between parallel Boxes, and I suspect one would have to go out of the way to make it very confusing.
>== For example, consider page breaks and right-hand margins - many of use want to be able to turn them OFF from view as they are annoying at times. Perhaps we never intend to print a certain worksheet. The developers have these lines in Mathcad 14 hard coded in
That bit's not my quote.
== If you allow a user to do something you have to weigh the benefits vs the potential problems. If the potential problems are small, then the user should be allowed to do it, even if the benefit is not obvious. This philosophy would allow SUC to be turned off,
But SUC was introduced to stop users having problems with units; given the time and investment put into it, the potential problems of turning SUC off were not seen as small.
== as well as page breaks, etc. But if the potential problems are really large, and the benefits appear to be small, then stopping the user from doing something may be the best choice.
Appear small to who? I'm firmly of the opinion that restrictions should be minimal until it demonstrated to be a significant problem. Only then should the screws be tightened down, and preferably in a way that allows the more expert users to loosen them. For example, a Preferences tab, similar to the Grammar setting in Word, that allows the user to set the degree of 'strictness'.
==At a minimum, it should be made very difficult for the user to get themselves into such trouble. If you make it easy for a user to get themselves into huge amounts of trouble, then they will, and it will often be the beginners
See above. Beginners sometimes grow up to have ideas above their station and then start complaining because they can't do what they want
🙂Stuart
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Bordered Boxes
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Borderless Boxes
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Borderless, Highlighted Boxes
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Borderless Boxes + Vertical Separator
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