From Jakob Neilsen‘s Alertbox column on Regulatory Usability at useit.com:
“I don’t like the Government telling Microsoft to make their software even worse by preventing them from integrating features into the operating system. I also don’t like the notion of user interfaces designed by the Justice Department.”
I don’t like Microsoft‘s bully tactics any more than the next guy (NOTE: I love Notepad), but I definitely agree with Jakob on this one.
Despite being an unfortunate Amazon.com rip-off (and we all know how much I hate rip-offs) Startech, a computer accessory manufacturer, has an exemplary website in terms simplicity, product information, and something which is often overlooked, high quality, hi-res, kick-ass product photography.
Earth to other e-commerce sites: I’ve never seen product shots this good. It doesn’t cost much to get a decent digital camera folks. Especially after you’ve spent hundreds of thousands on your website and millions on marketing. I can’t buy it if I don’t know what it is.
They have actual customer service and very handy product finding wizards. You can’t order directly, but my local reseller is just down the street.
When it comes to useful product info on e-commerce sites, some big players just don’t get it. Check out this laughable details page for a similar product at OnVia.
As a token of the recent anniversary of my birth, a very cool person bought me ‘soft foam’ toy planes*. The planes are very cool and can easily achieve the advertised 10 meter + flight distance. What struck me as odd was the included illustrated instruction sheet that you see here.
Also included where the helpful instructions “Please retain this section for future reference”. I guess that’s for when I find the planes in my basement in 6 years and forget how to use them.
Shelcore, the company which produces the planes, advertises their website on the packaging. I’m not sure this is wise. You be the judge.
* I am not a child.
A beautiful look into the history of the desktop operating system: Check out these hand drawn prototype sketches of the Apple Desktop Interface starting in 1979.
Meanwhile, in a parallel universe billg was working on Microsoft Windows Version 1, Version 2, Version 3, and Version 3.1.
thanks to mastah programah isaac for the links.
A few amusing details about Rob’s ‘Hello Microsoft’ post below:
Don’t worry, we only publicize your personal information when it amuses us.
Normally when I talk about how I am an unappreciated genius no one takes me seriously which I can understand in my wisdom but perhaps you could take me a little more seriously as I discuss another unappreciated genius who is not myself: Kirby Ferguson.
Kirby’s final issue of IslandEdition is up and it is so good it has me shaking my head. Don’t get me wrong. I do think IslandEdition has done well, but after reading Kirby’s Web Publishing Advice, I can’t help but mourn Prince Edward Island‘s loss (Kirby is moving to TO).
In particular, read Kirby’s Web Publishing Advice. It may seem odd to say that it is brilliant, since the advice is so simple, but is it indeed brilliant. Every web developer, designer, and writer should read and obey.
We’ll miss you Kirby and we look forward to the future of IslandEdition.com
Mike from Superfunk.com earns my respect with picnic table art.
Check out Boxlor while you’re there. I have reason to believe that I made these shorts in grade 7 Home-Ec class.
* I do not actually love the Internet.
Just finished reading No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies by Naomi Klein. It was an interesting book about the “brands, not products” phenomenon and provided a balanced historical look at the culture-jamming movement. Klein was careful to distance herself from organizations such as Adbusters that, despite earning my readership and respect, receive some much-needed criticism.
While interesting, No Logo does tend to drag a bit with an encyclopaedic style as is pointed out in a fine Slashdot review.
This probably shouldn’t matter, but I was drawn to the book in part by the fact that Klein is the wife of Avi Lewis who stands alone in the field of intelligent Canadian TV as host of the CBC’s Counterspin (Ralph Benmurgi is pretty cool too but I don’t know if he’s still on the air).
A program that knows it’s limits (56 Kb files), is frugal on features and resources, and is elegant in it’s simplicity: Microsoft’s Notepad.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Photoshop as much as the next person, but Notepad has never crashed on me.
After making a post on the IslandEdition.com message board suggesting that ExaComm’s websites PEISearch.com and IslandAuction.pe.ca where horrible Yahoo and eBay rip-offs, respectively, I was surprised to find out that I was unable to convince the mob that some form of theft has taken place. Before descending into inanity, including a post which read, in entirety, “stephen = idiotic comments” which was posted by an anonymous coward. Read the thread yourself and you decide, but please don’t email me if you disagree because you are an idiot.
On a remotely related note, I would like to acknowledge inspiration from Peter Rukavina’s Reinvented.net, and 37signals‘ Signal vs. Noise. Both sites are absolutely brilliant, and while I did appropriate the general concept of the sites, I was careful not to borrow any features of the design and layout beyond what is common to the popular but unfortunately titled “blog” phenomenon.
