[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
i'd like to ask a second time : don't cut things out until we have understanding about a way to make them available for those who wish them.
This, I believe, is the gist of your argument, so I will respond to that directly.
Someone in this thread said that OOo has more than 500 - that's Five-Hundred
- options in the preferences dialog box. If we went through and ensured
that each one was available for use somewhere - we'd never lower that number.
And that number *MUST* be lowered. I don't care if you bury so far that
it takes 57 mouse clicks to get to it - there is no need for that many options
- ever. The number should be closer to 50 than 500. In fact, I'd say anything
over 100 is way too much. A better interface design is a good start, but
that overhaul should, must, and will result in *fewer choices*. And that
is a Good Thing (tm).
If you tried to make it where all 500 options were still available, or if
we spent time pouring over each option, and catering to the 5 people in the
world who use that particular item... We'd never change anything until OpenOffice.org
10.0, when we won't even be using menus any more, since it will all be voice
or thought controlled anyway.
I'd rather inconvenience 50 people by totally removing an option, than confuse
50,000 by leaving them all in.
Burying options isn't the answer. Removing them is. People like choice, I know. But too much choice leads to confusion, bewilderment, and inaction. I don't mess with the options dialog box, because it's too much for me. I imagine I'm not the only one to feel that way.
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun04/toomany.html
That's one psychological study about the over abundance of choices, and how
that is stifling to life in general. We don't want OOo to add to the problem,
do we?
-Chad Smith
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