UI Bites
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@Gribnit You wouldn't be doing a pun with the word "wood", would you?
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@Gribnit You wouldn't be doing a pun with the word "wood", would you?
He wooden't!
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The lint beneath the keys - the air between the lint
But my
heartkey is made of lint...
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@Gribnit You wouldn't be doing a pun with the word "wood", would you?
Just keep it away from the would chuck.
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@boomzilla said in UI Bites:
@Gribnit You wouldn't be doing a pun with the word "wood", would you?
Just keep it away from the would chuck.
Would pecker?
It got its name because it would peck when...
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@BernieTheBernie said in UI Bites:
@boomzilla said in UI Bites:
@Gribnit You wouldn't be doing a pun with the word "wood", would you?
Just keep it away from the would chuck.
Would pecker?
I hardly know 'er
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This post is deleted!
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Great Jorb MS on that online version ... just wish I could get more Info.
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@Luhmann das Menu drunkken af
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@topspin
Always keep the sluts on top
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Huawei phone UI update status: (actually some time ago but I just got annoyed again by it, so let's rant about it)
Progress happened, EMUI was updated from 10 to 11, and now one very convenient shortcut to turn the ringtone on/vibrate/off was removed:
EMUI 11 vs EMUI 10.1: Changes on Volume and Call settings
Last September, Huawei released its latest OS skin, EMUI 11 with a new user interface and latest features to provide an upgraded experience from previous ones. Alongside major changes, minor adjustments are observed after installing this EMUI version. With the new EMUI version, Huawei always brings...
Because, apparently, it was important to "prevent possible misoperation." Yeah, there is a volume slider with a very clear music note glued just below it, and above it and with a small space there is a button with a bell. Taping the bell changes the ringtone, not the media (=music note) slider. Well, duh. Even if you're dumb enough to do it (which, admittedly, I did the first time to discover what it does), it's fairly obvious, and can simply be turned back on by tapping again. So it's convenient, fairly well placed, discoverable and useful.
(there also were some cases where two volume sliders would show though it wasn't in all cases and I can't remember the exact scenario, but in any case I mostly used the button to quickly put the phone on vibrate/silent)
So of course it was removed.
Now to get the same thing you either have to tap the settings icon (and then wait for the settings screen to show up and select the option, so much more complicated), or you can use the notification bar (by sliding from the top of the screen), which is fine but means you have to initiate two very different actions (volume buttons or notification panel) depending on how you want to tweak two things that are very similar (sounds settings, one for notifications and the other for media).
Plus there are no longer any way to get those convenient two sliders at the same time, which means if you want to change the ringtone volume (or media volume if you've configured the physical buttons to control ringtone rather than media) you must go through the settings, which is many more tapping and confusing, especially if you're in a hurry (oops, ringtone is far too loud, let's turn it down quickly!).
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Oh and this stupidity is compounded by the fact that when you change the ringtone volume in the settings, it plays the ringtone -- which is a good thing by itself, when you're setting it once in a while, you get an immediate feedback so you can tune it. But since it has become the only way to change the ringtone volume, this is very annoying.
My usual scenario now is as follows: I get a notification, and because I'm in a different environment than before (inside/outside, in a meeting, in a busy place...) I notice that the sound level isn't correct. So I want to quickly adjust it for further notifications I might get. So I open the sounds settings (which by itself is already at least 2 taps/slides), and move the slider. Which means my ringtone gets blaring, which is pretty annoying when I wanted to turn it down without being too obnoxious. Then I have to exit the settings screen (so at least one more press, depending on where I want to end up).
Compare to before: when I wanted to do that, I pressed the "down" volume button, and now I remember that this was one case when the two volume sliders would show up. So I would then immediately adjust the other slider, which would not produce any sound while doing so, and be done with it. The slider would disappear after a few seconds, so no other interaction needed.
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@remi looks like I picked a good time to ditch Huawei. I loved those two features.
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@Gustav I'm a bit annoyed by the way the whole Android thing works.
You can read countless reviews before buying a phone, but a huge chunk of the actual user experience isn't down to whether there is a 0.1 mm wide bezel or a 42nd lens on the camera, but rather whether reaching various functions takes one touch or ten, which reviews rarely look at in depth (and isn't just down to the Android version, since every maker can tweak it). You also can't really get a feel for the UI if you go to a shop, not in 2 min and without being able to use the phone for real.
The final kicker is that if you're looking for some help on the web, you can't just look for "android" help, since there's at least a 50/50 chance that the specific feature you're looking at is specific to your phone. It's even worse when you get to do tech support for your relatives (... yeah, I know...). One good thing with Apple is that, at least, I can grab my iPad and see exactly the same UI as what my mother is describing to me.
So basically, you're forced to blindly buy something, and hope for the best.
The flip side is that each maker is supposed to be able to tailor the UI to their needs, but frankly I don't see much added value in most of those UIs (and I see a lot of lost value with apps that can't be uninstalled and the like). Especially since when there is a good feature, there is a chance it might just vanish for no reason, like in my case here.
Sure, you can always root your phone and change stuff, but it's a lot of hassle.
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@remi I was fortunate enough to not have much choice this time around, and it certainly made it easier. As in, I was looking for a foldable phone, and there's literally 3 of them in the world right now, 2 of which aren't available in my country.
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@Gustav I've got to say I was very naive about the whole UI thing when I bought my first Huawei, a long time ago. I picked it for various reasons, but UI definitely never came into the picture.
Then I realised how much it matters, and since then I've stuck to that brand because it makes one less thing that changes when I change phone (and helps to tremendously reduce the choice, otherwise there's just too many!), and also makes porting all my stuff easier.
Though I don't change phone often (the last time was... I'd say 4 years ago? maybe more?) and at that time Huawei hadn't all the political problems it now has, so next time I'll have to change I have no idea whether I'll stick to it.
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Sure, you can always root your phone and change stuff, but it's a lot of hassle.
A lot of the look and feel is down to how the home screen works, and that's literally just an app (with special permissions, and you can only have one
of those active at a time). You can just get a new one in a few minutes.
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Though I don't change phone often (the last time was... I'd say 4 years ago? maybe more?) and at that time Huawei hadn't all the political problems it now has, so next time I'll have to change I have no idea whether I'll stick to it.
I switched to a Samsung relatively recently. As long as your Google account is synched properly before you switch, it's pretty easy unless you rely on default apps for a lot of stuff.
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I switched to a Samsung relatively recently.
And do you feel Enlightened now?
As long as your Google account is synched properly before you switch, it's pretty easy unless you rely on default apps for a lot of stuff.
True. But part of the issue is that initially I had no idea what a "default app" was since I was new to the whole Android thing. So I did use some stuff just... because it was there?
Now over the years I progressively switched to more convenient apps and nowadays I don't think I have much in default apps anymore -- what comes to mind is pictures, but I back them up elsewhere anyway so no big deal, and the "notes" application (you know, shopping lists, to-do lists...) but that's small stuff that I could easily move around (at worst, manually through e.g. sending it by email), and... that's all, I think.
But still, changing phone already has enough of cheese moving happening that if I can avoid having to learn a new UI and fight my way around, I'm happier. Ultimately a phone is just a tool to do something (I still feel a bit sad the first time it gets scratched but honestly I care about it about as much as, I don't know, a pair of shoes), so the less I have to think about it, the better.
A lot of the look and feel is down to how the home screen works, and that's literally just an app (with special permissions, and you can only have one of those active at a time). You can just get a new one in a few minutes.
Mmm, good point. One day I should try that. But then again, a lot of cheese will get moved and I don't like spending hours trying new ways to tie my shoelaces.
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And do you feel Enlightened now?
As long as it "works", I don't care. I ain't lookin under the hood - ewww!
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Sure, you can always root your phone and change stuff, but it's a lot of hassle.
A lot of the look and feel is down to how the home screen works, and that's literally just an app (with special permissions, and you can only have one
of those active at a time). You can just get a new one in a few minutes.But which home screen? Nova has been the only one worth a damn for a long time, and it's been recently sold to
data harvesting operationadvertisement company with no nefarious intentions whatsoever.
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But which home screen?
I usually do it to put on the Google one instead of whatever bizarre shit the phone vendor has made.
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@Gern_Blaanston said in UI Bites:
Bought a 32 inch 4k monitor. Really enjoy having all that screen space. However, it has a single control - a button that brings up an on-screen menu and then you wiggle the button to navigate the menu. A very clumsy way of doing things, but the best part is:
The button is located on the BACK of the monitor.
Acer? That sounds exactly like mine.
indeedI can hit the power button from muscle memory but using that nipple mouse like thing for the OSD is a PITA.
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@Gern_Blaanston said in UI Bites:
Bought a 32 inch 4k monitor. Really enjoy having all that screen space. However, it has a single control - a button that brings up an on-screen menu and then you wiggle the button to navigate the menu. A very clumsy way of doing things, but the best part is:
The button is located on the BACK of the monitor.
Acer? That sounds exactly like mine.
indeedSamsung. Who seems to have a thing for weird controls.
My previous monitor was also a Samsung and my current television is. And they both have the same weird controls -- there are no actual buttons, just an area in the lower right on the bottom of the monitor/television that you touch. Very hard to touch just the right spot.
Again, a really good product ruined by
UI.
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@HardwareGeek said in UI Bites:
@Gern_Blaanston said in UI Bites:
Very hard to touch just the right spot.
That's what she said.
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@Gustav Why 6 times? Why not 42 times? Why not 3 times?
Please send some enlightenment.
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@Gern_Blaanston said in UI Bites:
My previous monitor was also a Samsung and my current television is. And they both have the same weird controls -- there are no actual buttons, just an area in the lower right on the bottom of the monitor/television that you touch. Very hard to touch just the right spot.
I think I have that model too. I wish they'd made at least the power easier to find by touch; the other controls are more rarely needed.
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So basically, you're forced to blindly buy something, and hope for the best.
You can always look for reviews. Flagship devices from big manufacturers will have lots of them, niche devices may not, but there's really no way around that in any case.
The flip side is that each maker is supposed to be able to tailor the UI to their needs, but frankly I don't see much added value in most of those UIs (and I see a lot of lost value with apps that can't be uninstalled and the like). Especially since when there is a good feature, there is a chance it might just vanish for no reason, like in my case here.
That's a double edged sword. On the one hand, if you're familiar with Samsung's custom UI, or Huawei, Sony, etc, you'll know what to expect, but the other side is as you mentioned they can change things or take them away. OnePlus has had a rollercoaster journey with their stuff: Initially they started out having LineageOS as their official firmware, then they used their own version that had minimal differences from stock Android, and now I think they've got some version of their Chinese parent company's UI.
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Sure, you can always root your phone and change stuff, but it's a lot of hassle.
A lot of the look and feel is down to how the home screen works, and that's literally just an app (with special permissions, and you can only have one
of those active at a time). You can just get a new one in a few minutes.But which home screen? Nova has been the only one worth a damn for a long time, and it's been recently sold to
data harvesting operationadvertisement company with no nefarious intentions whatsoever.For now I've continued using Nova. Maybe some other one will get popular and take its place, just like Nova got huge after ADWLauncher stopped updating
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stopped updating
I do wish that Minuum would get updates. There are a few long-standing bugs I wish to fix...
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You can always look for reviews. Flagship devices from big manufacturers will have lots of them, niche devices may not, but there's really no way around that in any case.
Yes but my original complaint (on this point) is that reviews rarely go in-depth on the UI.
They spend a lot of time discussing cameras, screen, connectivity, battery, sometimes the feel/size of the phone, and maybe default apps (and if you're extremely lucky a tiny snippet about what makes the phone a "phone"), but there is usually very little regarding the UI. And because the UI is (more or less) shared by all phones of the same maker and not something specific to the phone being reviewed, often they'll just say something like "you get the same UI as on all other phones from the same maker, which is [good|bad|reasonable|meh|...]" and that's all there is in the review because it assumes you're already familiar with previous generations of phones.
Of course UI reviews are hard to do anyway. There isn't some simple numbers you can compare, there are tons of features that statistically won't matter to many people, but could turn out to be deal-breakers for some, and on top of it there is a lot of personal preference (or getting used to something, which is in part the same thing).
So I understand why there are far
fewerlesser of those than hardware reviews. But it's still annoying in the end, because to me they contribute more to the overall value of the phone than the number of pixels of the camera.
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@TimeBandit said in UI Bites:
I wish they'd made at least the power easier to find
I was thinking more about trying to switch it on in the dark. Once there's light from the screen, it's much easier to have a guess at where you've got to
presspaw at ineffectually.
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@BernieTheBernie said in UI Bites:
@Gustav Why 6 times? Why not 42 times? Why not 3 times?
Please send some enlightenment.There were only 2 misuses of (equivalent of)
<c:foreach>, but they were nested. I'd say more, but the OP has inconsiderately failed to include the raw source with original whitespace.
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where you've got to paw at ineffectually.
Always paw effectually, it works better.
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Digital meat thermometer:
Set
Temp
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Sure, you can always root your phone and change stuff, but it's a lot of hassle.
A lot of the look and feel is down to how the home screen works, and that's literally just an app (with special permissions, and you can only have one
of those active at a time). You can just get a new one in a few minutes.But which home screen? Nova has been the only one worth a damn for a long time, and it's been recently sold to
data harvesting operationadvertisement company with no nefarious intentions whatsoever.For now I've continued using Nova. Maybe some other one will get popular and take its place, just like Nova got huge after ADWLauncher stopped updating
I'm still using Nova, but I set it to not update so it won't go to version 8.x whenever they actually release it. I also disabled its telemetry.
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@Gern_Blaanston said in UI Bites:
My previous monitor was also a Samsung and my current television is. And they both have the same weird controls -- there are no actual buttons, just an area in the lower right on the bottom of the monitor/television that you touch. Very hard to touch just the right spot.
I think I have that model too. I wish they'd made at least the power easier to find by touch; the other controls are more rarely needed.
Agreed. My two monitors have the same type of controls. These capacitive touch "buttons" work OK, but they're not as nice to use as physical ones would be. They also don't light up so they're hard to find in lit rooms and impossible in darker ones.
For those who don't have them, here's a doctored picture that looks close to what I see in a fully lit room.
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@Parody Oooh, you have a model with a blue LED. Mine just has a boring old red LED...
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In many ways the GUI of Guild Wars 2 is... sub-ideal.
This, however... make of this what you will.
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@Parody Oooh, you have a model with a blue LED. Mine just has a boring old red LED...
Yeah, those are way cheaper to make but everybody wanted a white one so now the more-expensive blue ones you need for the white ones are cheaper. Nobody wants a white one anymore and everyone hates the blue ones.
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I typed the actual emoji, find it you fuckers!
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@Tsaukpaetra are you one of those people who types "Google" into the search bar in a browser?
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@loopback0 said in UI Bites:
@Tsaukpaetra are you one of those people who types "Google" into the search bar in a browser?
No, but I wanted to put a react emoji on a message, and there's no other way to do so expect through this dialog.
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@Tsaukpaetra said in UI Bites:
there's no other way to do so expect through this dialog.
I expect you might be right.
