Dear friend Costas,
Using TW3 beta v3.0.0.618 I did the following:
1 - closed all the study windows leaving only the Bible tree, the main Bible view and the search view;
2 - created a new study view and a new Bible view and placed them both in the lower middle area, right under the main Bible view;
3 - minimized and maximized the new Bible view and the new study view randomly a lot of times.
The behavior presented by those two new views (study view and Bible view) may not be actually considered a bug, but their minimize/maximize 'logic' is quite hard to understand or predict. Can it be changed?
Ericson L. Silva
Window minimizing & maximizing
Window minimizing & maximizing
Ericson L. Silva. Brazil
I'm not sure you meant the entire TW window or the entire middle view area. Anyway this is a very good solution because using a larger area makes it easier to read the Bible or study text. In short, I think it's enough if you just keep the program's ability to switch from one view to another one.
I have also been wondering if it would be feasible to have tabs (anywhere in the TW window) for all of the existing views. This way we could have as many new views we need without cluttering the screen with reduced size views or floating windows. Instead - since there is no one I know of who can read two texts at a time! - one could bring a specific Bible or study into view just long enough to read it using all of the available area in the program's window (preferably that area used by the main Bible view), and then switch to another view when desired just by clicking on the corresponding tab. In other words, only the active (Bible or study) module would be shown at a time.
Remember I am not a programmer and have no idea of how much work this would take!
I have also been wondering if it would be feasible to have tabs (anywhere in the TW window) for all of the existing views. This way we could have as many new views we need without cluttering the screen with reduced size views or floating windows. Instead - since there is no one I know of who can read two texts at a time! - one could bring a specific Bible or study into view just long enough to read it using all of the available area in the program's window (preferably that area used by the main Bible view), and then switch to another view when desired just by clicking on the corresponding tab. In other words, only the active (Bible or study) module would be shown at a time.
Remember I am not a programmer and have no idea of how much work this would take!
Ericson L. Silva. Brazil
Dear Ericson,
Yes, i meant that the entire TW window would be taken by a specific view.
Concerning the tabs: i see what you mean. Actually, this is not possible with the current window-system. This would require quite a lot of work and i don't foresee this for ver.3. It is something i like though and may implement.
My only thought is that a system with tabs tends to be more complicated for the novice user. The current system with no tabs is quite simplistic for the novice user and quite powerful for the advanced user. I know that many people already consider TW to be too complicated and whenever i add something new, i think how much 'complication' this adds to the whole concept of the program.
Costas
Yes, i meant that the entire TW window would be taken by a specific view.
Concerning the tabs: i see what you mean. Actually, this is not possible with the current window-system. This would require quite a lot of work and i don't foresee this for ver.3. It is something i like though and may implement.
My only thought is that a system with tabs tends to be more complicated for the novice user. The current system with no tabs is quite simplistic for the novice user and quite powerful for the advanced user. I know that many people already consider TW to be too complicated and whenever i add something new, i think how much 'complication' this adds to the whole concept of the program.
Costas
I want to throw my take about this, brother Costas, for the sake of clarification from a mere user's standpoint.csterg wrote: I know that many people already consider TW to be too complicated and whenever i add something new, i think how much 'complication' this adds to the whole concept of the program.
Costas
In my opinion the GUI and the whole set of features (as they are now, and including probably the ones you have shared with us in announcements) as well as the overall concept of TW3 are not that complicated (in fact not complicated at all). It was a general concern for most programs back in the days of DOS and Win3.1/95, but now with the level of penetration of the computer world and information systems deep in today's society this has changed significantly. Many, many more people today are becoming pretty much familiar with almost all kinds of GUIs. We are living in a world that is becoming full of laptops, palms, pocket and tablet pcs, etc.; we are seeing these everywhere. Many are now familiar with tool bars, menu bars, options menu, navigation panes, multiple windows handling, right click context menues, use of shortcuts, etc. Some model softwares have protagonized this trend. Contextual help in the form of tooltips have played a special roll in this familiarization.
To me TW3, as it is now, has impressed me for the ease of use, which is mingled with its power and artificial intelligence at the same time. Its just a study Bible software that takes the user in into a deeper level in the study of the Scriptures; and to me, more deeply than many out there. I praise the Lord for this.
We should be cautious in trying to oversimplify a GUI or in hiding features in a program. Some very known softwares have ventured into this trend and the result is frustration, as their users are now striving to locate very hidden features that should be at hand. I could mention some of them as this has happened personally to me.
You are doing a great job and I am very grateful for all the work you put into TW3.
Leoram
Hi!
I was really surprised to read that you know people considering TW complicated: The main reason for me, for using TW is the simplicity of the programm combined with the mighty features it supllies.
Greetings
Hg
The only thing I can do, is to agree wholeheartedly to the things Leoram said!To me TW3, as it is now, has impressed me for the ease of use, which is mingled with its power and artificial intelligence at the same time. Its just a study Bible software that takes the user in into a deeper level in the study of the Scriptures; and to me, more deeply than many out there. I praise the Lord for this.
We should be cautious in trying to oversimplify a GUI or in hiding features in a program. Some very known softwares have ventured into this trend and the result is frustration, as their users are now striving to locate very hidden features that should be at hand. I could mention some of them as this has happened personally to me.
I was really surprised to read that you know people considering TW complicated: The main reason for me, for using TW is the simplicity of the programm combined with the mighty features it supllies.
Greetings
Hg
Well, i don't think that TW is complicated myself. I just expressed what some people have said (and myself find it hard to understand, but we should not forget that there are novice users that only want to do basic things).
Let me share this link with you:
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/ ... 00020.html
Costas
Let me share this link with you:
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/ ... 00020.html
Costas
Thanks bro. Costas for sharing the link with us. I want to also share an interesting discussion that took place in another product's forum (not a Bible program), but which, I think, could enlighten a bit on this topic.
http://www.kinook.com/Forum/showthread. ... eadid=1591
http://www.kinook.com/Forum/showthread. ... eadid=1591
Leoram