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bryan -dot- westbrook -at- amd -dot- com wrote:
>
> The problem with Clippy, for us, is that we are not a part of his target
> audience.
True. However, while I haven't done any studies or kept an accurate
count, my informal impression is that the majority of users at all
level found Clippy and His Friends a distraction at best and
obnoxious and patronizing at worst. Some people didn't, but they're
rare enough that I'm always surprised when I encounter one.
Clippy, BOB (the social interface - remember that?), Barbie and
HotWheel-inspired computers for kids: all of these have tried to
inject an element of friendliness into computing, and none of them
have been popular. I suspect that all these ideas have failed
because they add another level between the users and what they want
to do. The fact that this layer is largely irrelevant only makes the
matter worse. Geeks, and even some tech-writers may enjoy tinkering
with computers, but, for most people, they're simply tools to which
they feel no special attachment. Even if people use computers for
games, what they want to interact with is the games - not the
machine that delivers the games. Similarly, when people are in the
middle of writing a memo, they want to find the information they
need and return to their train of thought - not to be amused by a
piece of animation, no matter how clever.
I like to think, too, that people see the implied contempt for the
average user in such toys - the idea that people always need to be
entertained and can't be expected to understand computing unless
they're amused. Unfortunately, I may just be projecting my own
feelings with that idea.
--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- progeny -dot- com
"There's the smell of death on Golden Mountain,
A price in blood is paid on everyload
And you bury your friends, too many for counting
In the rock and the mud of the Demon Fire-Carriage Road."
- Su-Chong Lim
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