Webword Statistics - Recent Comments

last updated:16 Aug 2002 13: 32 Webword time, or 16 Aug 2002 18:32 UK time

Webword Statistics - Recent Comments
(Comments added for week ending Sun 07 Apr 2002) | View Other Weeks

Break out the barbecue grill, daylight-saving time returns this weekend. (Comments: Jack Schonchin states that the infographic on this page is poor. As he says, depending on when you look at it, the time will either jump ahead one hour or jump back one hour.)

Sun 07 Apr 12:38 | Matt Round | Here in the UK we put clocks forward a week ago, which resulted in much tearing out of hair at work on Monday. Why? In their infinite wisdom Macromedia's programmers decided making Flash talk to the OS to work out daylight-saving time properly was far too sensible. Instead the Flash player seemingly assumes everyone's synchronised with the US, so the clock screensavers we've just completed will be out by an hour in the UK for two weeks of the year and wrong for half the year in places with no daylight-saving time. We may have to put the whole thing into Director (assuming that can tell the time correctly) or see if it's fixed in Flash MX. Nice work Macromedia.

The Quiet Coup | Sat 06 Apr

(Evolt) What happened? Where are all the Java applications? Not on the desktop as it turns out. Java has done well in the web world virtually dominating the web application server market in corporate America. The impact on the desktop has been fair at best. Many people look at Java now as great technology that failed to deliver on its original mission. (Comments: Some of this article is about Flash MX.)

Sun 07 Apr 09:38 | MadMan | Actually, all of it is about Flash MX (and how it's done what Java was supposed to) ;)

Sun 07 Apr 09:39 | MadMan | Actually, all of it is about Flash MX (and how it's done what Java was supposed to) ;)

Sun 07 Apr 09:40 | MadMan | Actually, all of it is about Flash MX (and how it's done what Java was supposed to) ;)

Content Management: Easy to Use | Wed 03 Apr

Content Management software specifically designed for extreme ease of use.

Fri 05 Apr 22:24 | Eric | http://webword.biz/ ??? Is that your brother?

Web Designer Builds Home out of Flash | Thu 04 Apr

(BBspot) Jason Farrell always told his customers that he could build anything using Flash and to prove his point he built his new home entirely out of Flash. Stepping onto the welcome mat out front sets in motion a colorful display of pictures and music while a soothing voice tells you how happy it is that you are visiting.

Fri 05 Apr 03:27 | James Tuddenham | I'm so stupid - I was looking for the link to his Flash house! Very funny.

WebWord Comment | Wed 03 Apr

Steve M. thinks that this City of Weyburn Map is a damn good Flash site.

Thu 04 Apr 10:29 | Lee | It's an interesting map, but the businesses thing doesn't seem to work - or, if it does, it's not apparent what it's supposed to do. I think a better map can be found here (no, it's not Flash): http://www.mbta.com/schedmaps/subway/index.cfm

Thu 04 Apr 10:55 | Smitty | Steve McMurdo is certainly entitled to his opinion. We all like to think that our own creations are the best.

Thu 04 Apr 10:56 | Smitty | Steve McMurdo is certainly entitled to his opinion. We all like to think that our own creations are the best.

Thu 04 Apr 11:01 | Alan Fisher | Truly, truly awful. As soon as the page loaded, it started to scroll and went right off the screen. I hadn't clicked on anything or even moved my mouse pointer. Having clicked on Help to find out how it's supposed to work (a bad sign in any case), I still find it unusable. It's not an April Fool's hangover, is it?

Thu 04 Apr 13:01 | Jack Schonchin | My reaction: I noticed text appearing when I moused over certain objects on the map, but the text was so tiny I couldn't possibly read it. (1280x1024 resolution, 21' monitor) Is it readable at lower resolutions? Plus, the mouse cursor usually obscures a portion of the text. The map keeps scrolling up and down the page, apparently based on the location of my mouse cursor. At my screen resolution, the whole map fits on my screen, so I have no need to scroll. When I move my mouse around, it's to use my browser buttons or menus, or to access my desktop, or to use my Windows menu bar, or to switch between windows (such as the WebWord comment form, and this map). While doing so, I have this map moving around like it has a mind of its own. Each time I return to the map I have to re-orient it so it's fully visible in my window. When I clicked one of the map objects that has mouseover text, a new window was launched (ACK!). The new window did a Flash detection, then shot me to this non-existent page: http://amtec2002.sasked.gov.sk.ca/~weybcomp/ultra OK, at this point I gave up.

Thu 04 Apr 16:52 | Shane | I have to agree with John and Steve M.... the city of Weybern map is an excellent use of Flash. Why? Because providing single session drill-down capabilities into a vector-based image set is one of the primary functions Flash was built to accommodate. If this page were purely HTML/image-based, a user would need be forced to reload the page multiple times to accomplish what Flash can do with a vector-based map. If only MapQuest's Weybern map were as usable.

Thu 04 Apr 20:10 | John S. Rhodes | Shane, I did not say that I liked the Weybern page. I merely said that someone else liked it. I think it is kind of average. However, I do like your argument for why it is a good page. Thanks.

Fri 05 Apr 03:14 | Alan Fisher | Shane, Sorry, but I disagree. The idea of using Flash for this kind of map is excellent and, as you say, it's one of the things which Flash was built for. Implemented properly, Flash would be the best way to present this kind of content. But this is a lousy implementation.

Steve Krug's Usability Workshop | Thu 04 Apr

Do me a favor. If you are interested in usability and you want learn from the guy who wrote Dont Make Me Think, go to this workshop. If you sign up for the workshop, tell Steve that you learned about it through WebWord. Youll get the early bird registration rate even though the deadline has already passed! (Note: I am not getting a kickback for this endorsement.)

Thu 04 Apr 23:46 | Jack Schonchin | What I don't like about Steve Krug is his tagline, 'Advanced Common Sense.' As usability professionals we are always explaining that what makes sense to one person doesn't necessarily make sense to another. The tagline distacts from an otherwise good book. When I show the book to others, I have to launch into an explanation that usability is not about 'common sense.'

Thu 04 Apr 23:47 | Jack Schonchin | What I don't like about Steve Krug is his tagline, 'Advanced Common Sense.' As usability professionals we are always explaining that what makes sense to one person doesn't necessarily make sense to another. The tagline distacts from an otherwise good book. When I show the book to others, I have to launch into an explanation that usability is not about 'common sense.'

WebWord Comment | Wed 03 Apr

Teoma is all the rage. I used Teoma many months ago and I was not impressed at all. With all the recent hype, I decided to give Teoma another try. The result? I still dont think it is nearly as useful as Google. Why? Here are two reasons: (1) If I spell something wrong, Google offers me suggestions. (2) I love the Google toolbar. I use it all of the time. What is really going on? Why dont I care about Teoma? It is not significantly better than Google. Im very comfortable with Google; I find what I want. Almost always. If some other search engine wants me to switch to them, then the value of using that web site must be much higher than Google otherwise it isnt worth my time. If another search engine want me, it better be very sexy and very useful and very easy to use.

Thu 04 Apr 02:43 | Jack Schonchin | Teoma will not succeed because its URL is difficult to remember and spell. People like us will remember, but hell, I doubt the average person even knows how to pronounce the word when they read it.

Thu 04 Apr 05:32 | Lyle | Teoma's sponsored links frequenty push the real search results right off the bottom of the first screenfull when using a 800x600 screen resolution. Also, as far as I can see, adding the sponsored links and doing some cosmetics are the only improvements they made for this relaunch (or launch). I'm certain that if any site wants to be a 'Google-killer' they MUST bring spelling, cache and automatic dictionary link to the table BEFORE they announce themselves as said Google-killer. It is not just about search anymore.

Thu 04 Apr 06:26 | Yak | hehe.. when i tried it today for the first time it didn't even work. all i got as a search result was a list of _other_ search engines. same list all the time, no matter what i entered to go search for.

Thu 04 Apr 06:27 | Yak | hehe.. when i tried it today for the first time it didn't even work. all i got as a search result was a list of _other_ search engines. same list all the time, no matter what i entered to go search for.

Thu 04 Apr 06:28 | Yak | hehe.. when i tried it today for the first time it didn't even work. all i got as a search result was a list of _other_ search engines. same list all the time, no matter what i entered to go search for.

Thu 04 Apr 06:30 | Yak | oh, i'm sorry. it wasn't really clear my comment had already been posted.

Thu 04 Apr 06:31 | Yak | oh, i'm sorry. it wasn't really clear my comment had already been posted.

Thu 04 Apr 14:25 | David Tallan | While we're harping on usability issues, I'd recommend removing the link on the left to the 'Mobile Friendly' version of the page. The link implies a usable alternative which the page, not updated and months out of date, is not. Better to have people accessing the main version of the page which is at least up to date, than to encourage them to link to a page which they'll eventually notice never changes. (Been there, done that.)

Thu 04 Apr 20:08 | John S. Rhodes | David T., You are exactly right. The mobile friendly page is terrbily out of date. When changes are made, I'll remove it. - John

WebWord Comment | Wed 03 Apr

Why didnt anyone ever tell me that the WebWord logo on the WebWord home page did not have any ALT text? (Sorry, didnt mean to blame you! Im just ashamed.) Oh well, there is only so much I can do at one time. If I was too busy working on the site itself, Id never write articles, do interviews, or collect news. Speaking of the web site, I am VERY sorry that it isnt working quite right. People are getting errors, postings are showing up twice, and a whole lot more. Im going to download the Moveable Type FAQ and user manual. I think I am going to have to make the change. Hand in there with me!

Thu 04 Apr 00:49 | MadMan | 'Hand in there with me'? Oooh, that sounds dodgy, John. ;) Sorry for picking on you, but that was too good to resist. :P

Thu 04 Apr 00:50 | MadMan | 'Hand in there with me'? Oooh, that sounds dodgy, John. ;) Sorry for picking on you, but that was too good to resist. :P

Thu 04 Apr 02:37 | Jack Schonchin | Well, as long as you mention it, the ALT tag for the WebWord logo should be 'webword.com,' instead of 'WebWord usability consulting and weblog.' Why? Because the ALT text is supposed to convey the meaning of the graphic, and that's the only meaning the graphic has. The additional information you added should instead be conveyed in the page title. And as for the page title, it should probably be 'WebWord Usability Consulting and Weblog' instead of 'WebWord Usability Consulting.'

Thu 04 Apr 08:10 | John S. Rhodes | 1. 'Hand in there with me!' Boy, that sure does sound personal. I'll correct that later on. Ha! 2. Jack, you're right.

Thu 04 Apr 13:32 | Mark Pilgrim | While we're discussing accessibility matters, could you add a 'skip to main content' link at the top of your page, so Lynx/screen reader users don't have to read your navigation bar every time? It doesn't have to be visible; CNN.com uses a 1x1 transparent GIF with an ALT tag of 'Skip to main content' (view source on cnn.com and search for the BODY tag).

WebWord Comment | Wed 03 Apr

Quiz time! What is a killing floor? Led Zepplins The Lemon Song might help you figure out the answer.

Thu 04 Apr 09:24 | PaulD | The only place I've heard the term is for the area of a beef processing plan where they kill the cattle.

Thu 04 Apr 09:59 | foolarch | 'The Killing Floor' is the name of an album by Vigilantes of Love (VOL)

Thu 04 Apr 10:54 | Alan Fisher | In musical terms, the use of 'Killing Floor' goes all the way back to a song of the same name made popular by Howlin' Wolf. This is where Led Zep picked it up from - in fact, they were accused of stealing large parts of The Lemon Song direct from old blues songs. Other later artists, such as VOL are continuing this tradition. None of which explains why the term was used in the original song in the first place.

Vincent Flanders' Two-Minute Offense | Tue 02 Apr

The Two-Minute Offense Web Usability Exercise is my version of footballs two-minute offense. You get two minutes to look at a site and discover its flaws before it disappears. Then jot down your comments in the form and submit them. Youll be shown a page when youll see what I found wrong in two minutes and a list of what you found wrong. You can then print the page for future reference. Another way to look at this exercise is its like speed chess. Youve got to make your moves quickly. (Comments: I tried this and it was kind of fun. However, I cant say that I totally understand it.)

Wed 03 Apr 11:25 | Jack Schonchin | Maybe it's just my cynical nature, but I found many more issues than were in Vincent's list. A couple suggestions for this test... 1) Vincent should spend half an hour and come up with a laundry list of issues (stack the deck). Bowl us over with things to think about. 2) Test us with a better design, not this Flash stuff that is such an obvious mess. Make it a much harder test. My analogy for this test would not be football or chess. It would be Boggle. But either way, Vincent has presented this test as a challenge between himself and his readers. With Vincent's short list, his readers may go away feeling they've bested him. Vincent should always win, assuming he's presented this test to make a point. As is, the only thing I walk away with is a feeling that I'm a more savvy designer than Vincent.

Wed 03 Apr 14:12 | MadMan | Not all usability problems are related to first use a.k.a the 'first two minute impression'. Many can be subtle but important issues that crop up only when you observe real users at work. For example, an extra key stroke or mouse click to complete an action may not be serious in an application that's used infrequently, but if it's something like software for a supermarket checkout and billing system, in which the user performs the same actions hundreds and perhaps thousands of times in a day, you bet it makes a difference. Flanders' system is largely a pointless exercise. Two minutes is hardly enough time to evaluate all aspects of a site. Take an e-commerce book store site for instance. Is two minutes enough to identify problems with the IA, the search facility, the registration process, the checkout process, the help system, the customer service, the quality of the content on the site, and various other factors that make a site successful? Sure, you might find some obvious flaws i.e., the usual suspects: load time, home page design, location of nav bars, etc. This is also more likely given that the site is in a category called 'The daily sucker'. But that's all it is - a test to see who's learnt Uncle Jakob's 'guidelines' by heart. It will also be restricted to the home page, which is all you can really critique in *two* minutes! Average game, but little real world use.

Wed 03 Apr 15:37 | Matt Round | It's a nice little gimmick, and may well get people involved who would've otherwise not bothered considering the issues, but I hope it doesn't just end up pushing the crude checklist approach to Web design that many 'gurus' encourage. Good IA/UI/design takes time and involves a wide range of skills; checklists and buzzwords can do a lot of harm if they're oversold. Is the whole feature in beta? In under 2 minutes I spotted things like 'Click the stopwatch to go to the start of the critique process' (why not give me a link there instead of that pointless text leading me back up the page to click on the heading? This is basic stuff), the poorly matted heading image, broken links and failed validation (pretty bad when you're proudly displaying a W3C button); these things Suck and need Fixing.

Wed 03 Apr 15:38 | Matt Round | It's a nice little gimmick, and may well get people involved who would've otherwise not bothered considering the issues, but I hope it doesn't just end up pushing the crude checklist approach to Web design that many 'gurus' encourage. Good IA/UI/design takes time and involves a wide range of skills; checklists and buzzwords can do a lot of harm if they're oversold. Is the whole feature in beta? In under 2 minutes I spotted things like 'Click the stopwatch to go to the start of the critique process' (why not give me a link there instead of that pointless text leading me back up the page to click on the heading? This is basic stuff), the poorly matted heading image, broken links and failed validation (pretty bad when you're proudly displaying a W3C button); these things Suck and need Fixing.

Wed 03 Apr 16:32 | Jack Schonchin | I love checklists. OK, granted, there isn't a checklist that can fully assess a web site, unless it's exceedingly long and detailed, or very broad with room for more-specific hand-written comments. But that's beside the point. Check lists raise awareness among designers about common issues so that the issues are avoided in the first place. Don't look at check lists as a failed corrective device, but as a positive preventive tool. When I read about an issue in a check list (or other article) again and again, the correct design concept eventually gets into my skull. More importantly, when one of your coworkers beats the drum to establish a bad design precedent, it's fun to throw a stack of 'top ten design mistakes' from a Jakob and a dozen other pundits at him and point out how many times his ideas show up in the lists.

Microsoft Code Has No Bugs (that Microsoft cares about) | Tue 02 Apr

In an interview for German weekly magazine FOCUS (nr.43, October 23,1995, pages 206-212), Microsofts Mr. Bill Gates has made some statements about software quality of MS products.

Wed 03 Apr 06:48 | (the other) JS | If Gates were alone in his beliefs, this might be amusing. Strangely, we can have all this 'information technology,' of any or mulitple developers, and still not get the message.

Wed 03 Apr 10:29 | mcw | This is from 1995? One hopes that that such views have evolved in six years. Point is made that the marketplace validates, or does not validate, their position. If customers want less buggy software....or more secure software...or more features...that's what Microsoft's tries to offer. In 1995, bug-free didn't seem to rank highly - at least in Microsoft's opinion of what the market wanted. To the degree that Microsoft, or any other technology company, perceives that ease of use, security, or defect-free becomes a critical factor in market success, one would think that's where their efforts will be focused.

Wed 03 Apr 12:35 | Jack Schonchin | Hmmm, the people I know are unhappy that each new version of Windows and Office is bigger, slower and filled with more unneeded features. At our workplace we chose to stick with Office 97 because it does everything we need, is easier to use, and runs faster. (In that respect, Office 95 would serve us even better, if it had HTML export filters.) If we upgrade, we would also need to upgrade some of our otherwise completely satisfactory computers. (In fact, we might switch to Linux if we had the expertise in-house.) In many respects I believe Microsoft is steering us in the direction it wants us to go, not the other way around. It has that power. Microsoft could produce universally bad software for the next five years and still rule the world.

Wed 03 Apr 13:57 | Eric Grose | I'm sure glad I read 'The Inmates Are Running the Asylum' so that I can better interpret Gates' incredible arrogance. He's homo logicus, and I...well, I'm just a luddite.

Wed 03 Apr 14:04 | (the other) JS | This 1995 comment is germane to the recent Microsoft Customer Relationship Management initiative. It's not the bugs, it is the way Gates handles the situation. Should make Gates' take on CRM very interesting.

Wed 03 Apr 15:52 | Russ Hollmann | It wasn't readily apparent where the source was from. This sounds nothing like Bill Gates, i have a hard time believing its valid

Wed 03 Apr 15:53 | Russ Hollmann | It wasn't readily apparent where the source was from. This sounds nothing like Bill Gates, i have a hard time believing its valid

True Random Number Service | Tue 02 Apr

Random.org offers true random numbers to anyone on the internet. (Comments: The Introduction to Randomness and Random Numbers essay is worth reading if you are interested in this topic. From what I can tell random.org uses atmospheric noise to generate the initial seed. Other folks use radioactive decay. Note to self: Most random numbers are not truly random.)

Wed 03 Apr 11:04 | Jack Schonchin | At long last, a truly valuable service is being provided via the Internet! I can finally get rid of my coin collection. One can only hope random.org doesn't go commercial and start charging us monthly fees.