What Fresh Hell is This?
Last week Slashdot mentioned an X Windows upgrade that would allow for some OS X-level “eye candy” features for Linux. In describing one of the effects, the author wrote:
The wobbly window effect is mildly addictive. Kristian hasn’t gotten much work done since he wrote it. He (and now I) spends all day moving windows around and watching them settle.
(See link for video.)
This is a good thing? I understand that it’s a demo, and therefore devoid of any actual usefulness. I’m okay with that. But I’m not wild about the section later in the post that covers button styles. Do we really need buttons with swirls around them, or buttons that appear to be hand-drawn?
At least one Microsoft cheerleader seems to think so. After first pointing out the standard button that Windows users have come to expect (shown here in the 1.0, 3.0, ’95, and XP iterations):
…this dude gushes over the ability to create “a Flippin’ CD Button!”:
Now, I hate to sound like a curmudgeon here, but I don’t want my buttons to bounce, swirl, or dance. I don’t want my windows to wiggle. I don’t want to have to click odd, walking diskettes to select folders. I just want to do whatever I set out to do with the program, and be done with it.
Is that too much to ask?
March 30th, 2005 at 12:32 pm
Frankly, I always thought the standard “OK” button was a little showy. Even the “X” box in the upper right hand corner has too much color in it nowadays. Whats wrong with simply entering a 0 to proceed or a 1 to abort?
But in any case, definitely, definitely no dancing anythings. Sheesh. What’s next, a pole-dancing Start button?
I don’t think I’d take any more kindly to a tax auditor if he wore a smiley face button and clown shoes. Same principle applies to the endless clicks it takes me to get to actually using the application I’m looking for.
Quit the hip wiggling and give my danged Acrobat files!