> we need to try to make an appealing product to a wide-range
> of users and user-expectations -- from the hard-core emacs
> veterans (like myself) to the very inexperienced casual users
> (like my mother). besides, there's a significant number of
> people who "just can't live without 'em" -- we've already had
> some complaints because we didn't have them....
I agree that we need to appeal to a wide audience, but in a much better way.
Rather than making a word processor that anyone who knows word can use, why not
make one that anybody who can find the power switch on the computer (in the age
of large uptimes, should that be a requirement?) can just sit down and be
highly productive with.
What I was thinking was having a toolbar, similar to Netscape's button bar
(customisable between text, picture or both), as well as Emacs-style key
bindings for each operation. (FYI, I'm a vi man, but I don't like the idea of
sticking a first-time user in front of a word processor, and expect them to
understand the idea of modes)
These days, just being technically better, cheaper, or politically better isn't
enough to compete. (If that was the case, lyx would rules the word processing
market)
You need a user interface that doesn't require "understanding computers", it
just needs you to know what you want to do, and how to use a keyboard (or
typewriter) and mouse.
I'm willing to help design such an interface, if there's anyone who's willing
to work with me on it. (A UI designed by one person is a UI that works well
for one person)
> is there a precedent for a popup menu launched by a keyboard binding ??
Possibly, so long as I don't need to buy a new keyboard to do so ;-)
-- -- Michael Samuel <michael@surfnetcity.com.au>