Re: Mathematica 9 for Windows
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- Subject: [mg128973] Re: Mathematica 9 for Windows
- From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
- Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 04:59:13 -0500 (EST)
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Let the user choose! By default, the new interface doodads -- autocompletion, Suggestions Bar, and dynamic highlighting -- are enabled. And this is probably a good thing for the new Mathematica user who just wants to start using the system as quickly as possible without a long learning period. The experienced user need only open Preferences/Options and on the Interface tab uncheck the corresponding items. In the case of autocompletion, there's even the option to leave it enabled but set a popup delay. For the new cell insertion point, the little + icon is hardly distracting. In fact, to the unknowing eye, it merely suggests this is a place where you can add some input. It's not until you click the + sign that you see the choices, including free-form/WolframAlpha input. And the + icons gives those who want it another way to insert a Text cell without having to revert to the main menu or the keyboard shortcut equivalent. Perhaps there's a way to use the Option Inspector to turn off, too, the + icon at the new cell insertion point; I haven't discovered it yet. I agree that it would be useful to have the choice of these interface doodads readily available to unset or reset on a menu or a palette. On Dec 5, 2012, at 3:13 AM, djmpark <djmpark at comcast.net> wrote: > I'm concerned too. I think WRI is mashing and corrupting one of their > primary assets, a clean notebook interface. > > The principle here is that a user should be able to obtain help WHEN AND > WHERE HE ASKS FOR IT and not otherwise. > > The primary point in the interface is the new cell insertion point. This > should be completely unadorned. There should be nothing there until the > writer asks for it or types something. Similarly as a user types there > should be nothing else unless and until he asks for it. The writer should > not be constantly presented with "in your face" requests for which the > answers are overwhelmingly no. > > WolframAlpha is a nice feature but I think it would be only occasionally > used in most notebooks. It can be obtained by using "=" as a shortcut, or by > typing WolframAlpha[...]. I don't see why it couldn't be added to the > context menu. We don't need a constant little advertisement for it at the > primary point of interface. It's like walking into a store when you know > exactly what you want but first having to fend off a sales person offering > you various items of information or specials and reappearing before each new > purchase. > > The Input Assistant at first seems like a good idea but it has a way of > turning into a huge dynamic distraction. I also find some difficulty in > completing the symbol entry, sometimes getting the wrong symbol and > sometimes having to grab the mouse and click in the notebook. You may > complete the command you want but the list will still be there needing to be > dealt with. Also, in the instructions when WRI says "Tab" I'm not certain if > they mean the arrow keys instead. Also the command completion sometimes does > not appear to work and other times does. The entire thing is a bit more > complex than is convenient. I think the pre-Mathematica 9 method was better. > It only appeared by request, using Ctrl+K, and then often completed at that > point. If M9 gives a better context sensitive list of completions then that > could still be incorporated. > > Templates should be obtained only if one uses Ctrl+Shift+K. It is just as > easy to type that as it is to grab the mouse and click a temporary button. > It appears now that in M9 WRI is obtaining the templates from the multiple > entries in the Function page Usage cell, with perhaps some method to add > additional ones. But they use this only in their in-house Build process and > don't yet make it available to developers. WRI really has to work on > updating Workbench. I don't think it's been updated for over two years. > > Many of these things, including the Predictive interface, might be better if > they were on a context menu, always available but otherwise invisible. Or > they might be buttons in the docked Toolbar at the top of the notebook. > There seems to be plenty of room there and they might be more useful than > the justification buttons. One of the problems with Mathematica is the great > number of commands. Rather than writing code, I would think a more useful > Predictive interface feature would be to give direct links to Guide pages > that had routines related to the context of one's work. > > Keep the notebook interface clean, like a blank piece of paper, and leave > beginners` aids to tutorials, context menus, optional Toolbars or palettes. > > > David Park > djmpark at comcast.net > http://home.comcast.net/~djmpark/index.html > > > > From: Arne Eide [mailto:arne.eide at gmail.com] > > So much about the (rare?) blue screens. Now I am more concerned about the > route Wolfram indicates with the new Mathematica version. Each previous > version of Mathematica has represented important steps forward, improving > well-known features and adding others. Even those versions that gave us > loads of work to do, rewriting older notebooks, have been appreciated, > increasing the net benefit of the software. I am not equally enthusiastic > about version 9 (up to now). Does it represent a turning point in the > development of the Mathematica software? It seems to me that the integration > of the Wolfram-Alpha ideas into the Mathematica environment is changing the > simple and attractive structure of Mathematica. Do we have to move into the > Math kernel shell to get back to the original Mathematica experience? I hope > you will maintain Mathematica as the unique tool it was and still is and let > Wolfram-Alpha develop alongside, maybe also as a first Mathematica > experience. Co-existence instead of a pre dator-prey relation. > > Best regards, > Arne > > > On Monday, 3 December 2012 09:30:48 UTC+1, John Fultz wrote: >> Some users who upgraded to Mathematica 9 for Windows have reported >> >> encountering blue-screen system crashes. The system crashes seem to >> be >> >> caused by a Windows bug in handling how we update fonts, and can >> >> potentially happen even when not running Mathematica (for example, >> >> opening the Fonts control panel might cause a blue screen). The issue >> >> only affects Windows machines which had older versions of Mathematica >> >> installed. >> >> >> >> The issue is rare and was not found during extensive internal and >> >> external prerelease testing. However, we're taking the issue very >> >> seriously, and we recommend that you don't install Mathematica 9 for >> >> Windows until we can provide you with a patched installer, which >> should >> >> be available for download from http://user.wolfram.com in the next few >> >> days. >> >> >> >> If you have already installed Mathematica 9 for Windows and have not >> >> encountered this issue there is nothing you need to do. >> >> >> >> If you have installed Mathematica 9 for Windows and have encountered >> the >> >> issue, you can find a solution for the problem here: >> >> >> >> http://support.wolfram.com/kb/11160 >> >> >> >> Or, feel free to contact Technical Support and they can help you walk >> >> through deploying the fix. >> >> >> >> We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. >> >> >> >> Sincerely, >> >> >> >> John Fultz, Director of User Interface Technology >> >> Arnoud Buzing, Director of Quality Assurance >> >> Wolfram Research, Inc. > > --- Murray Eisenberg murray at math.umass.edu Mathematics & Statistics Dept. Lederle Graduate Research Tower phone 413 549-1020 (H) University of Massachusetts 413 545-2838 (W) 710 North Pleasant Street fax 413 545-1801 Amherst, MA 01003-9305
- References:
- Re: Mathematica 9 for Windows
- From: "djmpark" <djmpark@comcast.net>
- Re: Mathematica 9 for Windows