Subject: From: Date:

Re: [ECS] "DOS based " Ingo Pakleppa Mon, 25 Jan 1999 15:12:54 -0800

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Mark,

there are lots of individual things to take into account. I would strongly
recommend you start with an AppWizard-generated MFC-based application; it
will give you all the right look and feel right out of the box. You will
probably want to use a dialog-based application. If you don't use MFC,
you'll be hopelessly swamped because you'll have to reinvent megabytes of
code that is already written (the compiled version of MFC is about 1 MB).

For samples, use Microsoft's Visual C++, MS Word, and the X-10 application
that comes with the CM-11A (you can download it from X-10's Web site, too).


The reason for making your software windows-like is that, even if your
interface is "better," users want an interface they are used to. Imagine a
car manufacturer coming out with a joystick-controlled car. It would save a
lot of space and give the driver more legroom, it would allow a better
sightline to the instruments in the dashboard, it would reduce injuries in
an accident.

Do you think that would sell better or worse than one with a steering
wheel? Software is no different; the more you stick with what people
expect, the better your chances of selling will be.

Similarly, for an example from the computer industry: how many people do
you know who use the Dvorak keyboard? For somebody trained on it, Dvorak
allows significantly faster touch-typing (in fact, the stardard US keyboard
was designed 150 years ago with the explicit goal of slowing down the
typist so the keys wouldn't jam!)



Specifically, the menus are one thing. Edit should hold copy/cut/paste. For
instance, when editing an event, copy, cut and paste should work on the
selected lines of the event.

View can hold such things as "choose font," "refresh," "options," and the
like. Choose Font should allow the user to select a different font for the
various screens, and maybe also customize other aspects. Refresh should
update the status of all elements - for instance, if you have an LM14A lamp
module whose status is visible in the current screen, it should trigger a
query to the module to update the status with the correct value. Options
should bring up a dialog that lets the user set things like refresh rate
(how often is the displayed status updated). I know, the last two things
probably don't quite make sense for ECS, they are more examples of what
might go there.


Another thing is using the standard Windows colors that the user selected
in the control panel.

Don't forget to also respond appropriately to all the standard function
keys - for instance, generally, F5 stands for "refresh," shift-F3 means
"find" and F3 means "find again" There are many more things. You can allow
old users to switch back to an old-style user interface using an item in
View | Options.

Again, I would *strongly* suggest you start with an Appwizard-generated
application that by definition adheres to the standard, and then modify that.

There are many more things that make ECS unusual - the concept of events is
very uncommon the way ECS uses it - the language should probably focus more
on items as the core concept like most object-oriented languages do.

So you may even want to think about making ECS more programmable like other
applications, maybe even use VBA as ECS' future scripting language. Of
course, you'd need some kind of translator to translate the old ECS scripts
to the new script.


Personally, the application I would like ECS to be is an enhanced X-10
application with the ability to associate scripts with each item. In other
words, focus more on the items rather than the events.


Ingo

At 04:59 PM 1/25/99 -0800, Mark Gilmore wrote:
>NO "offense" is taken !
>But I guess I need an example of a commonly used program
>which has these characteristics. Perhaps another HA program.
>I have the HomeVision software, but have rarely had the need
>to run it. How does it conform ?
>
>Bass, Bill wrote:
>> 
>> Mark Gilmore wrote:
>> >
>> > Are we talking the use of the commonly-used
>> > FILE/EDIT/VIEW/etc style menus ?
>> >
>> 
>> Yes, that is one thing, even though I agree that they are not
>> my preferred way to navigate, they are part of the Windows
>> "look and feel".  Another point is the style of the graphics.
>> Shapes, sizes and colors of frames, headers, text boxes,
>> buttons, etc.  I also think the font sizes and styles have
>> a strong bearing on the perceived "fit" of the user interface.
>> 
>> Does anyone else have any opinions on this, or do I just seem
>> to be nit-picking?  I am not trying to imply anything negative
>> about ECS.  I am trying to offer suggestions which might
>> improve Mark's potential for market expansion.
>> 
>> Bill Bass
>
>-- 
>Mark Gilmore
>Omnipotence (ECS Home Automation Software)
>omnip@usit.net
>http://www.usit.com/omnip
>

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