Re: [colorforth] merging edit time and run time

[Mark Slicker <maslicke@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 23 May 2005, Albert van der Horst wrote:

> It is clear that I somehow miss the point here.
> I wonder if the silly buttons in Windows in red that is supposedly a
> power switch (it took me ages to figure that out) is a good example of
> a user illusion? It doesn't really switch the system off, but
> instructs Windows to shut down, and then the power is not really shut
> off, but instead it is set to standby mode.
>
> And a question. Lets say Mary is a non-knowledgeable computer user.
> She uses a mail program. Lets say it is text based.
> She says `mutt albert@xxx', types a text, then exits the editor.
> She is then left with a menu, with commands like q and y.
> Then types a command (y) to send the message off to me.
>
> Is there a user illusion here?
>
> She believes there is a mail message going to be delivered, and that
> is not untrue. But what is physically happening (uucp, pop,
> Encapsulated Ethernet, or timing diagrams of adsl lines) she doesn't
> know. (I must admit that I have myself only a vague idea how an ADSL
> line manages to get that bandwidth accross).
>
> In cars there is changing a lot. The switch to put the lights
> on is in the same place and feels the same, but nowadays it
> communicates with a computer and the lights are switched on over
> a can bus. Is there a user illusion here?
> If so is that bad? (I can see that is so if you have to fix it
> yourself in the desert. But then, how many people out there
> would be able to fix a mechanical switch/work around it?)

Are you asking my opinion? I think making the interface more trasparent 
and connected with the hardware could be a good thing. Today, people who 
are not schooled in computers, who do not have the knowledge of a 
software designer, can find dealling with computers a very frustrating 
experience. When things go wrong, and this happens quite often today, they 
are left with no understanding of the actual problem, instead someone who 
knows all the tricks of the illusion must be called in to diagnose and fix 
the problem. Even if the person can not fix the problem themselves, I 
think it is a great benefit for them to understand how the effect of their 
actions as connected with the hardware.

In some of the cases above, I don't think there is a user illusion in the 
light switch if it is made clear to the user that the effect of pushing 
the button is to send a message to a computer to requiest that the light 
be turned on or off. If they are instead trying to pass it off as a 
coventional light switch, I think there is an illusion going on here. In 
most cases it might apear to be a switch, if something goes wrong, the 
problem may have nothing to do with operation of the light, the button, 
and the connections between them.

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