[mythtv-users] Why Free Software has poor usability ?

Jerry Rubinow jerrymr at gmail.com
Thu Aug 7 23:00:23 UTC 2008


On Thu, Aug 7, 2008 at 6:52 PM, John Drescher <drescherjm at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Thu, Aug 7, 2008 at 6:44 PM, Jerry Rubinow <jerrymr at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Thu, Aug 7, 2008 at 1:26 PM, Jay R. Ashworth <jra at baylink.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> On Thu, Aug 07, 2008 at 09:06:14AM -0400, John Drescher wrote:
> >> > > They're basically trying to make a work-alike for a version of
> >> > > Microsoft Office *that everyone knows how to use* at this point.
> >> >
> >> > Microsoft decided to completely redesign the GUI for most of its
> >> > office products with no option of backward compatibility forcing
> >> > everyone who knew the old interface (which was basically the same
> >> > for at least 10 years) to relearn how to use office. For me at work
> >> > most of my users after having the new office for a few days asked
> >> > for the old office back since they did not want to spend valuable
> >> > time relearning office. I certainly would not call that a usability
> >> > improvement.
> >>
> >> Correct.  Someone in the project management office was given their
> >> head, and what they chose to do with it will (hopefully) turn out to be
> >> a Career Limiting Move.
> >>
> >> I have yet to find anyone who thinks the O2K7 interface is a Pretty
> >> Neat Idea.
> >
> > Well here's one.  And in fact I think the old interface is a very bad
> > design.
> >
> > Addressing what John said, it's ridiculous to say there's no backwards
> > compatibility.
>
> I meant no way to get the old menu system back that everyone knows and
> understands with the new product.
>

I understand that, but why do users need the new product?  I would bet that
what the users know and understand is a small fraction of the capabilities
of the program and that there is no functionality that was added in 2007
that they need or use.  So there would be no reason to upgrade unless they
wanted a more useable (and granted unfamiliar) interface.

-Jerry
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