Mac OS-style menubar as default

[Merton Campbell Crockett]

On Mon, 4 Jul 2005, Thierry de Coulon wrote:

> On Monday, 4 July 2005 09.00, Janne Ojaniemi wrote:
> 
> > You are now complaining about how a web-poll was set-up and not about the
> > questions it asked.
> 
> No. I'm saying you're basing on unreliable data. If I got you right, users who 
> wish mac os-style are a minority but you think there is a majority "hidden" 
> amongst those who said no that would actually mean yes. As long as 21% say 
> yes it means to me 79% say no. If you want to convince me that a majority 
> want it mac os-style, you'll have to get over 50% of yes
> 
> > Right now KDE has menubars identical to the way Windows is set up (each
> > app/window has a menubar). And if we moved to universal menubar as default
> > (like Mac OS does), it would be "a lot like Windows"? We would be moving
> > away from Windows-way of working towards the way Mac OS works, and
> > according to you, that's "a lot like Windows"? I'm sorry, but you are not
> > making any sense.
> 
> You didn't read me right. What I find Windows-like is the way Mac OS tells the 
> user how (s)he is supposed to work. There are LOTS of KDE defaults I change 
> first thing when installing (depending on the distribution: the double click 
> mouse, the windows buttons, the icons, etc...). So as I said, IF a majority 
> of users prefer the default to be mac os-like, ok, let's do it.


The Mac OS-style menubar is a historical relic from the days when monitors 
were small and a Mac could only run one application at a time.  I'm not 
sure why Steve Job keeps it around other than as a reminder that Apple 
sued everyone that attempted to copy Apple's "look and feel" ane won.

Apple's new displays tend to have a 16:9 aspect ratio.  This makes the Mac 
OS-style menubar even less desirable.  

Actually, there's a much more basic question that has to be asked.  Who is 
going to fund all of the changes needed to have a Mac OS-style menubar?

Assume that I am a software developer.  I am hoping to become the next 
Bill Gates.  To achieve this goal I need my software to run in as many 
window environments as possible.  Why should I expend time and money on 
the niche market of Mac OS X and KDE users that like the Mac OS-style 
menubar?

The big market is based on window environments derived from X11.  It would 
be more sensible to conceentrate my efforts on this market.


> For the time being I'm not convinced this is a majority, that's all. 
> 
> > Well, right now it takes about 1 minute to switch between those settings.
> > Why should it be any different if the default was changed?


You are assuming that people don't tailor their work environment.  It 
takes significantly longer than a minute to go through each of one's 
commonly used applications to configure them for the changed screen area.

Out of curiosity, I enabled the menubar at the top of the display.  The 
menubar didn't change as focus moved from window to window.  The menubar 
in each window didn't disappear.  The biggest change was the reduced area 
available for windows on the desktop.  Instead of 75 lines of text, I 
could only display 72 lines of text.

Merton Campbell Crockett



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