[Desktop_architects] Printing dialog and GNOME

[Mike Shaver]

On 13-Dec-05, at 2:02 AM, Christopher Blizzard wrote:

> Here's another one: "As the number of options approaches infinity, the
> number of users approaches 1."

Wait, do we really believe that's true?  Can someone point at a piece  
of software that became less popular as it gained capabilities?

I used to believe that was the case, and google can probably find me  
arguing that position, but I'm having a hard time justifying it on  
the basis of actual experience, which is why I've backed away from it  
in recent years.  I still have keys to the old place, though, if  
someone can point me at a reason to go back.

"Usability" (that's a bad word now, I hear, but I don't have my  
persona-experience-design cheat sheet at this desk, so bear with me)  
is certainly an important issue in user satisfaction, but I have a  
hard time convincing myself that it's a big issue in getting users to  
try the damned thing in the first place.  I will stand atop the  
tallest hill and shout that Firefox is more pleasant and productive  
to use than IE, but I know that most people tried it and used it for  
that first day because of _options_ like tabbed browsing and popup  
blocking.

Mike