Re: A new graphic user interface
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg111631] Re: A new graphic user interface
- From: AES <siegman at stanford.edu>
- Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2010 07:21:10 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <i3gpp1$2v0$1@smc.vnet.net>
In article <i3gpp1$2v0$1 at smc.vnet.net>, Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu> wrote: > What iwould you want in the Mathematica front end that could be more > user-friendly? In what ways do you find it currently unfriendly? I've not made much use of the built-in palettes in Mathematica to date, but probably should do so. I have been making considerable use, however, of the "Inspectors" that have been showing up in various of Apple's newer apps and other third-party apps for Macs, and finding them very user-friendly. I suppose these Inspectors are in essence just tall, skinny, highly multi-function palettes; but their attractive features include: * One single Inspector for the whole app offers direct access to a whole bunch of detailed "utility" functions (various formatting tasks, for example), all visible in one single tall skinny window which you can position wherever you like. * Open this Inspector with a single click on a single, obvious icon that's right there in the application's main Toolbar; dismiss it with a single click. * Tall window allows you to scan down rapidly (preferably without scrolling) to see what task capabilities or utility functions are available; and maybe expand the one you want by clicking its triangle. Don't have to try to remember the name or location of the function you want. * Tabs at top can let you quickly select broader categories of such functions. * Tall skinny structure allows individual task to have a horizontal control bar and/or a text box input/ It's just a generally handy, friendly user interface, with a built-in "teaching" capability for the user, as compared to multiple palettes or dialog boxes, that have to be searched out in multiple menus.