Julien Vehent on 14 Dec 2011 07:29:53 -0800


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Re: [PLUG] observational: user hostility


On 2011-12-14 10:08, jeff wrote:
Whenever I used to do anything with graphics, back before linux, I'd open
Photoshop (largely because I had it). Do not construe usership with ability
though...

Yesterday I wanted to do a tiny amount of graphic manipulation so I fired up GIMP. To say I'm not a power user is an understatement. In fact, it's like
giving me a Ferrari when I drive a land yacht.

No matter how I tried, I could not do what I wanted.  I called over a
coworker, who does graphics, for help. She had that same sideways stare: it
was the blind leading the stupid.

Not wishing to take a course in GIMP, I found a program for the Other OS, in which I finally managed to do what I wanted (put a Santa hat on my dog). My coworker said it would have been easier to put an actual hat on the dog and
take a picture.

I am not blaming GIMP nor promoting anything else. Just seems that the other program was less user-hostile (to the way I do things). Might just be that
I'm a graphical nincompoop....

But when you gotta put a Santa hat on your dog, you gotta put a Santa hat on
your dog.  No amount of manual-scanning will do.


I found both photoshop and gimp to be equally frustrating from a beginner's perspective.

After a while, and a few dozens pictures/photos manipulation with gimp, I'd say it's an excellent tool for the job.

Question is: up to what point can you really make complicated things user-friendly ? I wouldn't expect to know how to drive a ferrari without taking at least one driving lesson. Same goes, I think, with most evolved software.

--
Julien Vehent - http://1nw.eu/!j
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