[PD] PD usability

Adam Lindsay atl at comp.lancs.ac.uk
Wed Feb 12 18:00:29 CET 2003


Marc Lavallée said this at Wed, 12 Feb 2003 11:32:41 -0500:

>Most of us don't need fancy segmented patch cords and graphical objects
>with a puffy look, but can we focus a little bit on the graphical
>interface issues? I need those Mac addicts to use PD. I like being in
>touch with people on this list, but I also need real people (those I get
>in touch with everyday) to use the same tools than me.

Very much agreed. As a Mac user, it's in my blood to care about usability.

I would love to hear about specific critiques in installation, and what
would be a better way of getting things usable for MacOSX users. It
seemed like I was working in a vacuum for a while, with the Pd-extended
version on CVS, but now that more MacOSX people on the list are
appearing, I'd love to help work on an even more Mac-like packaging of Pd.

> The segmented patch cord functionnality seems to be of
>major importance to him.

It isn't as pretty as MSP's stripes, but does the -cordcolor option (from
the extended/CVS build) help that distinction?

> He also seemed quite revolted by the
>installation process of the OSX version.

Specific comments?

The unofficial .dmg/.pkg installers hopefully help with most of the
mechanics, but I'll acknowledge that MIDI remains tricky to configure.
Manipulating the .pdrc (as a hidden dotfile) on MacOSX can be a bother if
you're allergic to the command line. Other issues in getting up-and-running?

Cheers,
adam

-- 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 Adam T. Lindsay                      atl at comp.lancs.ac.uk
 Computing Dept, Lancaster University   +44(0)1524/594.537
 Lancaster, LA1 4YR, UK             Fax:+44(0)1524/593.608
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