Modelessness (Was porting UNIX applications to the mac)

[Jon Krueger]

In article <585 at zeus.UUCP> bobr at zeus.UUCP (Robert Reed) writes:
>    A useful definition of mode is a state of a user interface that affects
>    the interpretation of subsequent inputs without obvious indication.

I'll rewrite this:
	A mode is a system state.  The same user inputs in different
	modes get different system responses.
Or:
	Users input to systems.  Systems respond to users.  A mode is
	a set of pairs of user inputs and their corresponding system
	responses.  User inputs in the same mode get the same responses.
	User inputs in different modes may get different responses.

I'm aiming toward a definition that's sufficiently general to apply to a
variety of systems, devices, interfaces, and applications.  Whether and how
obviously a system indicates its mode is a testable matter.  If the user
behaves differently when the system indicates its mode, we can call the
indication obvious.  If the user behaves the same in the presence of an mode
indication as in its absence, then the indication wasn't obvious.  In fact,
as far as I'm concerned, in that case the system didn't indicate a mode.

I hope this kind of discussion is boring and dry enough to calm down the
vi versus mouse flames.  We're getting more heat than light.  It's more
useful to gain consensus on matters as basic as how to apply terms to
objects.  Hence I offer my use of the term "mode".  But actually I have
little interest in it, I'd rather see a useful definition of the terms:
	"sucessful user behavior"
	"effective use"
	"productive use"
and so on.  My definitions lack precision and vigor.  I'd have to say
something like "needs little reference to printed documentation or human
consultants" or "minimal time to first satisfactory result" or "user jumps
up and down and says he likes it" or "user rushes out and buys ten more of
it".  These are pretty imprecise, although demonstrably better than "I like
it and I think everyone should like it" or "it's just obviously better than
its competitors" or "what's wrong with it?  Everyone uses it here all the
time".

					-- jon

-- 
--> Jon Krueger
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