[ale] Slackware to drop Gnome?

David Corbin dcorbin at enttek.com
Tue Oct 12 16:55:05 EDT 2004


On Monday 11 October 2004 10:37 pm, aaron wrote:
> On Monday 11 October 2004 16:43, Pete Hardie wrote:
> > > I googled for Fitt's Law, and I think that the "Windows style"
> > >  of menubar (in the application window)
> > >  would be more appropritate than
> > >  the "Mac style" with regard to Fitt's law.  What am I missing?
>
> A couple of things....
>
> First, and most annoying for someone who learned GUI navigation in the on a
> multitasking graphic media system with a single menubar and multiple,
> independent work space screens for programs, is the wasted screen
> realestate. How many "FILE - EDIT - TOOLS - HELP" menu strips do you need
> on your screen at one time?? More to the point, how many can one person USE
> at one time??

One for every visible application, lest I have to click on it just to bring 
the menubar up.  

>
> The second is more on the Fitts law aspect (at least as Michael Hirsch has
> explained it to me), and has to do with the idea that items on the edges of
> the interface area are infinite in size; once the pointer hits the edge it
> can't go any further, even if you continue roll the mouse in that edge
> direction forever. Any interface targets at the far edges are, in effect,
> the biggest possible targets and the easiest to hit.  I would add that the
> top edge is probably the most logical for text menu items, because all
> common written languages read top to bottom, even those that may also read
> right to left.
>

I can understand this reasoning, and it does make sense.  But I thought Fitt's 
law was that distance was a major factor.   Putting the menubar outside the 
application is increasing my distance....



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