Challenge: to do something like this in a revlet #2

[Richmond Mathewson]

Andre Garzia wrote:
> Richard,
> can you show us a shot of your welcome screen? I like screen shots...
>   
I don't know about Richard's welcome screens: here's one of mine:

http://mathewson.110mb.com/welcome.html
> cheers
> andre
> On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 3:35 PM, Richard Gaskin
> <ambassador at fourthworld.com>wrote:
>
>   
>> Richmond wrote:
>>
>>  Richard Gaskin wrote:
>>     
>>>> Richmond wrote:
>>>>
>>>>  http://www.ovomaltineforever.com.br/
>>>>         
>>>>> Cripes, I am getting cheesed-off with the
>>>>> ubiquitous Flash.
>>>>>
>>>>>           
>>>> I don't mind Flash, but splash pages went out with 2002 and that one runs
>>>> waaaay too long even by 20th century standards.
>>>>
>>>> Jared Spool of UIE offers a simple recipe for evaluating the usefulness
>>>> of things like intro pages:
>>>> <http://www.info-arch.org/lists/sigia-l/0103/0136.html>
>>>>
>>>> :)
>>>>
>>>> We use splash screens in desktop apps only because the app needs time to
>>>> initialize and we need to give the user something attractive to look at
>>>> until it's ready for work.
>>>>
>>>> I've seen some apps actually delay their boot time so they can display
>>>> their splash screen longer.  I don't quite understand that; the user didn't
>>>> boot the app to look at a splash screen, and users don't go to the Ovaltine
>>>> web site to look at colored blobs dancing around.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>         
>>> I eventually got round to reading Jared Spool's stuff about Splash pages;
>>> it puts things on the spot very effectively.
>>>
>>> NOW:
>>>
>>> All the programs I build have a Title Page, with:
>>>
>>> 1. Title.
>>>
>>> 2. Decorative Element (not too much 'in the face').
>>>
>>> 3. GET STARTED button.
>>>
>>> 4. QUIT button.
>>>
>>> For kids I have been known to throw in an animated GIF just
>>> to grab their attention (when, let's face it, they are about to
>>> do some fairly boring exercise where Richmond hammers
>>> home some grammatical point).
>>>
>>> I do NOT like programs that launch straight into their main
>>> interface that do not easily slot into the known categories
>>> of application (e.g. Word-processing, image manipulation,
>>> audio-manipulation) because there has to be a place to
>>> display any Copyright (or Copyleft) information and anything
>>> else end-users should know without taking a 'bite' out of
>>> the main interface.
>>>
>>>       
>> Agreed.  Welcome screens are far more useful than splash screens.  Rev's
>> Adobe-flavored one is a good model, and I've been adopting similar welcome
>> screens for some time.  Much more helpful than just dumping the user into a
>> blank slate as if to say, "Here ya' go, you're on your own now." ;)
>>
>>
>>  The reason I dislike splash screens is two-fold:
>>     
>>> 1. They are very often a place for programmers to show
>>>    off visual pyrotechnics which only serve as distractions
>>>    and cheese-off end-users.
>>>
>>> 2. Splash screens display a lack of respect to end-users
>>>     insofar as they take control away from them.
>>>
>>>       
>> Yep.  Splash screens can be useful to let the user know what's happening
>> while the app is setting up, but as soon as that's done they should go away
>> as quickly as possible and let the user get to work.
>>
>> --
>>  Richard Gaskin
>>  Fourth World
>>  Rev training and consulting: http://www.fourthworld.com
>>  Webzine for Rev developers: http://www.revjournal.com
>>  revJournal blog: http://revjournal.com/blog.irv
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>>     
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