[CS-FSLUG] Random comment on comment

[Aaron Patrick Lehmann]

When you guys talk about interface, are you speaking of the UI?  I think of the
code interface when I say it...  Ad FYI Ed, in coding terms, clean means that
you allow those who will use your interface the functionality they need, and no
more.  

And with regard to "freedom," do you mean, the ability to do what you want in
the way you want it?  If so, then freedom is anathema to me as a programmer.
If an interface allows 10 differrent programmers the ability to do the same
thing in 10 widely different ways, then maintaining and extending is going to
be difficult, because what is the obvious way to one person will not be so to
the next.  Give me an interface that allows me to get what I need done, in one
obvious way.  If there are several equally valid ways to do something that come
to mind, I get antsy.

Aaron Lehmann

On Mon, Sep 13, 2004 at 06:03:11PM -0500, Ed Hurst wrote:
> Don Parris wrote:
> >I would say a "clean" interface is one that's uncluttered and looks
> >nice.  Of course, "pretty", "nice", "handsome", "charming", and
> >similar adjectives might better suit the situation.  Of course, I'm
> >currently attempting a "clean" re-installation of SUSE on one box -
> >that is, devoid of any traces of a previous install.  This is
> >important because I believe my last re-installation was contaminated
> >or tainted by the ghost of the first installation.  Are you following
> >this, so far? :)
> 
> Yeah, sure.... NOT. (There's another pop phrase for you, except it 
> actually has an established meaning.)
> 
> What is clutter? On the counter next to my bathroom sink, there are 
> countless bottles, tubes, and various other objects. They are all neatly 
> place in rows, organized by purpose (not by type), and I know exactly 
> where everything is. You can hardly see any counter space open, except 
> at the front edge -- don't want stuff falling off, you know.
> 
> Is that cluttered? It *is* clean because I dust and wipe often. And it 
> is very usable because that's how my brain is organized. It looks pretty 
> nice to me, because I never have to hunt for things. In other words, 
> "clean interface" is a buzz-word which by no means equates with "more 
> usable." Am I in this one-in-a-million, or just kinda oddball?
> 
> And what is "clean code"? Does less code automatically mean "cleaner"? 
> What is less code means dropping out a checkpoint that just isn't likely 
> to be used -- but does come up once in awhile? I've seen some "clean" 
> bash scripts that will never mean a thing to me, but I know how to get 
> what I need most of the time.
> 
> I maintain my church's lawnmower. It's *never* clean, because it stays 
> covered with dust. Dusty roads, dusty soil under the grass, etc. 
> However, it is always properly lubricated, and I sharpen the blades 
> after every two acres of mowing. It always works well, but is never clean.
> 
> If you ask me, this business of talking about "clean interface" is just 
> an attempt to sway people, to define for them what it means to be an 
> elite user of computers. Don't tell me about "clean." Tell me about 
> "adaptable to needs of a wide variety of individual users." Tell me I 
> get what I want, and so does the snob next door. I like stuff organized, 
> but all close to the surface. I have my favorite CLI stuff I do, with 
> two or more Xterms open on my six desktops at any given moment. Each one 
> is used differently, so the window size and shape are different. I don't 
> care how easy it is to change the window shape, size, location, etc. 
> I'll get it where and how I want it and leave it for days on end.
> 
> So my rant is a slap at the snobbishness of a certain parisan group of 
> users. Too often that group is Gnome fanatics, but includes others. Nor 
> do I love KDE so much (yes, there are more than two, just like political 
> parties in the US). KDE is better for me because I can set it my likings 
> immediately, with just a few clicks. Can't with Gnome. Too bad. Gnome 
> isn't written for me. Nor is Rat Poison, E, and a hundred others. IceWM 
> is written for me. In ten minutes I can create a menu from scratch that 
> will match my use pattern. It requires a text editor, and is not what we 
> could call "elegant" but works for me.
> 
> I am far more impressed when writers tout the newest thing as 
> "configurable" and "adaptable" and to a wide array of needs and uses.
> 
> Yep, it's still about freedom.
> 
> -- 
> Ed Hurst
> -----------
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> Blog -- http://ed.asisaid.com/blog/
> ---
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> 
> 
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