[TextMate] Preferences window (was ProFont)

[Sune Foldager]

On 7/10-2004, at 17:56, Ryan Platte wrote:
> I'm discouraged by this thread, I hope TextMate won't be another
> product whose developers think they know better than Apple's UI team
> AND negatively-surprised users.

Yes well... read these quotes from Allan, earlier in this thread:

 >>>

I'm getting slapped with AHIG a lot, but no-one provides any quotes, so  
here are some.

Regarding preferences in general:  
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/ 
AppleSWDesign/UsingTechnologies/chapter_7_section_6.html

[...] avoid implementing all the preferences you can think of. Instead,  
focus your preferences on the features users might really want to  
modify.

A preference should be a setting that the user changes infrequently. If  
a user might change the attributes of a feature many times in a work  
session, avoid using preferences to set those attributes. Instead, give  
the user modeless access to the controls for modifying that feature.  
For example, you might implement the feature using a menu item or a  
control in a palette or window.

[...]

Regarding the View menu, which I use for most options:  
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/ 
OSXHIGuidelines/XHIGMenus/chapter_7_section_4.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/ 
TP30000356/TPXREF148

The View menu provides commands that affect what users see in a window.  
In the Finder, for example, the View menu contains commands for  
displaying windows as columns, icons, or lists. Commands for showing,  
hiding, and customizing a toolbar belong in the View menu [...]

<<<

Maybe YOU people should start comming up with some argumentative quotes  
and references from the AHIG :-).

> Please, guys, don't make us argue the carefully-considered conventions
> of Mac software to you; we're potential customers who need software
> that fits us. You've created something that fits your needs and
> aesthetics, which is a great start. Now adapt it to suit your target
> audience (all of whom are Mac users, by the by) without ruining it for
> yourselves, and the world will have another piece of great software
> instead of another mediocre wanna-be.

Believe it or not, a _lot_ of people like the preferences the way they  
are now.. I don't think you speak for the entire target audience, while  
I do acknowledge that several people on this list have complained about  
the lack of a prefs window.

> If you don't understand folks' objections to abandoning conventions
> from the Apple HIG, please explain why your way is an *improvement* --  
> [...]

I believe Allans post and also previous posts from him and me explain  
our argument well.

> What problem does this deviance from user expectations
> solve?

Deviance from _some_ users expectations. What it solves or rather why  
it has been chosen is explained elsewhere, in Allans earlier post etc.

> Thanks for your great work so far.

Just a note: I am not speaking for Allan here, and I am not on the  
payroll for Macromates. I am 'just' a friend of Allan.

-- 
Sune.
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn"
http://cyanite.org  --  Content follows ;-).
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