[Sigia-l] UI for the $150 Laptop (OLPC)

[Ziya Oz]

Celeste 'seele' Paul:

> Then you will most likely fail successfully contributing design advice to an
> open source project.

I'll try this one more time: I do NOT want to fix OSS design problems by
joining it.

If you're even peripherally familiar with the history and current practice
of design criticism you'd know that critics are NOT mandated to get involved
at the production level of works they cover. Not in literary criticism, not
in film, not in painting, not in music, not in design... You think millions
of pages of criticism over the ages were just "blabbing on about something"
because they didn't personally "fix" whatever issues they may have
discussed? You think they were just "talking to themselves"?

When someone criticizes my design, it is MY job to learn from it. It's NOT
the critic's job to teach me and/or fix my design. Apparently, this escapes
the OSS community? 
 
> Oh please.  You're suggesting environments supporting alternate models of
> interaction are going to ruin millions of kids who go on to use Word in an
> archaic desktop environment?

Well, this goes to the heart of the problem with OLPC. It's not trying to
sell an affordable PC in a $150 package. It's trying *at the same time* to
reinvent the PC UI/UX. Now, whether this is a boneheaded decision or not is
an interesting subject for discussion, but I'm not allowed criticize any of
that *unless* I join OSS?
 
> Ignorance must be bliss because only you seem to think the sky is falling.
> Let's all stop innovating now.

History of design is chockfull of misplaced attempts at "innovation."
Pointing out when and how is the domain of design criticism.

> With an attitude like that, I don't think we're missing much.

The state of OSS UI/UX speaks for itself.

If anything, this exchange illustrates once again the knee-jerk OSS reaction
to the design community I cited in my original post: "either join us or stop
blabbing on." 

'Nuff said.

Ziya
Nullius in Verba