OT strange tech support calls

[Richard Gaskin]

Shari wrote:
> His problem:  He couldn't find a menu item in my software.  He 
> claimed that the menu itself did not exist, that there was absolutely 
> no menu of any kind, whatsoever.
> 
> After several go-rounds, I requested a screenshot of his full 
> computer screen while running my software.  He sent a screenshot of 
> the program's window only.  Of course on a Mac, this wouldn't show 
> the menubar.  After requesting again a full screenshot, we found the 
> problem.
> 
> The menu existed.  But he was expecting it to be in the window 
> itself, rather than at the top of the computer screen.  Even though 
> several of my emails to him told him to look at the top of his 
> screen, he failed to understand until I asked for a screenshot.  Then 
> he figured it out, and apologize profusely.
> 
> Am not sure if he is a Windoze to Mac switcher, or simply a computer newbie.

I'll go out on a limb just as I did several years ago when I suggested 
Apple would eventually adopt Intel processors and two-button mouse 
functionality:

Somewhere between OS XI and OS XII it seems likely Apple will move the 
menu bar to the tops of windows.

Sure, this seems heretical right now, but the usability studies showing 
the benefit of the current menu placement were done with the Mac display 
was 512x342, and Fitts' Law suggests that as displays get larger the 
benefit of the "backstop effect" of the monitor bounds diminishes with 
distance to the target.

If any of you have links to current usability research on menu bar 
placement I'd be very interested to read it.

-- 
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World Media Corporation
  ___________________________________________________________
  Ambassador at FourthWorld.com       http://www.FourthWorld.com