From chemistry-request |-at-| server.ccl.net Fri Feb 11 05:46:12 2000 Received: from gensig.nibsc.ac.uk (gensig.nibsc.ac.uk [193.62.43.13]) by server.ccl.net (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id FAA28305 for ; Fri, 11 Feb 2000 05:46:10 -0500 Received: from nibsc.ac.uk (dlinmf.nibsc.ac.uk [193.62.42.144]) by gensig.nibsc.ac.uk (980427.SGI.8.8.8/970903.SGI.AUTOCF) via ESMTP id JAA61060 for ; Fri, 11 Feb 2000 09:35:50 GMT Message-ID: <38A3D892.5928E46- at -nibsc.ac.uk> Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 09:38:26 +0000 From: Mark Forster Organization: NIBSC X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.05 [en] (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: chemistry&$at$&server.ccl.net Subject: RE:Anybody agrees with me Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dear Comp. Chemists This raises a very important point about user interface design. There is, IMHO, a trade off to be made between simplicity (few features, easy to to understand, aimed at the novice user) and flexibility (lots of features, as many options as possible, aimed at the expert user). If you want to name names, then I would agree that the insightII and Quanta, for example, are quite complicated interfaces, but they are very comprehensive codes that cover a wide range of application areas. The idea that a standard GUI can be developed is neither feasible nor desirable. Different codes are aimed at different markets and categories of users and this can often determine how their GUI is designed. Even under a single opearating system and GUI paradigm, say Windows 9x, GUI design can vary widely. The X windows system will not lead to any degree of standardisation. There are many different window managers allowed even for one version of Unix. Hence a more basic level of standardisation is needed for Unix before unification of GUIs can even be considered. This is not to say that a comprehensive software tool cannot have an intuitive GUI, but achieving that balance needs careful design, and the designer must be someone who understands the process of GUI design as well as the area of science encapsulated by the code. Horses for courses. Best Wishes Mark F -- Dr Mark J Forster Ph.D. Principal Scientist Informatics Laboratory National Institute for Biological Standards and Control Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Hertfordshire EN6 3QG, United Kingdom. Tel +44 (0)1707 654753 FAX +44 (0)1707 646730 E-mail mforster- at -nibsc.ac.uk