On Apr 29, 2011, at 09:21, kbostroem wrote: > > >> IIRC my complaint with the preference is that it violates the principle of >> least surprise. For example, you have icons for Preview.app that open >> with Skim when double-clicked, and this is an inconsistency. >> > Adam, c'mon, I appreciate that developers think farther than the "simple > user", but is this wrong-icon issue really so grave? Does it justify to > entirely remove that preference item which does streamline an otherwise > cumbersome workflow? Honestly...?
I do very little BibDesk development lately, so I'm not going to be removing it. If it does get removed, you're the one rocking the boat by replying to a 2 year old thread… There are multiple reasons to adhere to the principle I mentioned [1] not the least of which is support. You conveniently snipped that allusion from my reply. You may think that you are the "ordinary" or "normal" user, but you are not. >> Here's another point: BibDesk allows files of /any/ type as an attachment. >> Should we also have a preference for .doc, .docx, .jpg, .png, .rtf, .rtfd, >> .ps, .eps, .dvi...? There's a reason the system handles this for us, and >> it makes a lot of sense. >> > I somehow expected an argument like this. It's a purist point of view. > (Developers tend to be purist, in my experience.) Perhaps. I'd rather argue that you have no idea what "normal" or "ordinary" users do (or may do in future), so let's dispense with this "purist developer" vs. "ordinary user" crap. > Of course, logically, > proponents of the discussed preference item could not argue against further > preference items. But pragmatically (and this is what I think we should > stick with) it is preferrable for the user to have at least one of these > options at hand for the most frequently used file format, which is PDF. Replace "the most frequently used file format" with "the file format /I/ most frequently use today" and you can certainly claim this is pragmatic :). Making a spaghetti of little preferences to satisfy all users leads to software that is ugly, unmaintainable, and hard to use. Look at any once-great word processor that went down this path… [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_astonishment ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd _______________________________________________ Bibdesk-users mailing list Bibdesk-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bibdesk-users
