Roy Schestowitz wrote:
> Speaking of need for freedom...
>
> Will Zune begin instructing artists on how to compose their music?
>
>
> Microsoft Vista User Interface Guidelines Published
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | "Microsoft has published the preliminary Official User Interface
> | Guidelines for Windows Vista. Highlights include Top 12 Rules for the
> | Windows Vista User Experience ? and the use of screenshots from Windows XP
> | as examples of what not to do. The full guidelines are as yet incomplete,
> | but what is there makes for interesting reading."
> `----
>
> http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/23/0551208&from=rss
Use the Aero font - because Linux has no such font, nor does anybody
else. Does Microsoft also have it trademarked? Yes.
ANTITRUST DIVISION!! WAKE UP!!
Use "Aero Glass" - as the default color. First, because it's
trademarked.
Unix X11R4 had transparent "colors" to support shapes in icons, and had
translucency in R5. R6 was released in 1993. Gnome and KDE made use
of these as far back as 1.0 but got more aggressive and artistic about
it more recently. But it's an "Innovation" because Windows NT and XP
didn't have it.
Rule 4: Use icons and graphics consistent with the Windows Vista style
and quality
All trademarked of course. Microsoft may have "won" the "look and
feel" lawsuit, but they found the loopholes in the trademark law.
This of course means that you cannot let users run your software on
Linux.
ANTITRUST DIVISION!! WAKE UP!!
Rule 5: Use task dialogs for new or frequently used dialog boxes and
error messages
Copyrighted, trademarked, and patented?
Rule 6: Use Aero Wizards
Funny thing here - they look more like Athena. But these are
copyrighted and trademarked as well as patented.
The irony is that most of these guidelines are actually making Vista
more Linux-like. Telling developers to wait until they can put up a
legitimate control than just put up welcome pages, and congratulations
pages when done.
Rule 7: Use Explorer-hosted, navigation-based user interfaces, provide
a Back button
Yep, paint yourself into that corner over there, and we'll paint from
the center toward the door, and the cash register. You don't might if
we pick up our pay while you wait for the paint to dry do you? Look,
there's just enough here for me and my crew.
Rule 8: Use the standard Windows Search
That's one way to kill off google desktop.
Will fido still dance?
Rule 9: Use the Windows Vista tone in all UI text
Use the Windows Vista "tone" to inspire confidence by communicating to
users on a personal level by being accurate, encouraging, insightful,
objective, and user focused. Don't use a distracting, condescending
(for example, "Just do this..."), or arrogant tone.
Yes, Linux developers should probably also adopt this one - oh wait!
They do!
Rule 10: Clean up the user interface
Remove clutter, unify surfaces visually, and make the UI look well
organized and thought through.
Sounds like eclipse guidlines to me.
This one DFS should love.
Rule 12: Reserve development time for "fit and finish"!
To deliver high-quality fit and finish, build in time to attend to UI
details. Scheduling time for a visual clean-up at pixel level, layout
corrections (alignment, spacing), and other visual "fit and finish" is
as important as it is to schedule time for bug fixing and other types
of quality control.
Amazing. Microsoft has managed to hide goat ropers into half their
reccomendations, and point out the obvious in the other half.
Good reading otherwise.
> Related:
>
> Microsoft ships "Vista Industrial Design Toolkit" to PC manufacturers
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | The toolkit, which is delivered free of charge, contains a whole host
> | of suggestions about how to build a PC that will fit with the look and
> | style of Windows Vista. From color palettes to suggestions about how
> | the power and reset buttons should appear, the kit basically
> | describes Microsoft's vision of what a "Vista PC" should look like.
> `----
>
> http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060731-7391.html
|
|
