Re: A few issues...

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From: Jon Guyer (jguyer@his.com)
Date: 11 Mar 01, 01:59 EST


From: Jon Guyer <jguyer@his.com>
Subject: Re: A few issues...

At 9:34 AM -0500 3/10/01, David A. Scocca wrote:

>To my mind, the way Alpha works violates three logical principles:

These are only logical principles if you start with a bunch of 
assumptions. Your way works if that's the way you expect it to work, 
but it severely constrains your ability to extend a selection. 
Alpha's way likewise works if that's the way you expect it to work, 
but it severely constrains your ability to contract a selection. I 
freely admit that I've been inured to Alpha's way. I thus tend to 
make minimal selections and expand them in both directions. I don't 
think about it. I'm not suggesting that you should get used to 
working this way, just that there's nothing wrong with it. When I 
work in apps using your model, I am constantly aggravated that my 
selection is constantly flipping from the chunk above the anchor to 
the one below it. I never think about the anchor. I could learn, but 
it is equally artificial.

>As I indicate above, mouse selection clearly implements model
>(a)--we care about the endpoints but not the route traversed.

Does it, now? I suggest you go back and try it again. Alpha's mouse 
selection is actually not consistent with either model. Eudora is one 
app in Alpha's camp that seems to do a reasonable job of guessing 
whether the user meant to expand or contract the selection.

>Not novice-user-friendly.

You're suggesting that there's something (anything?) about Alpha that 
/is/ novice-user-friendly?

-- 

   Jonathan E. Guyer
   <http://www.his.com/jguyer/>

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