Wise a Wizard used?

[Atheist]

Wizard
n.

   1. One who practices magic; a sorcerer or magician.
   2. A skilled or clever person: a wizard at math.
   3. Archaic. A sage.


adj.

   1. Chiefly British Slang. Excellent.
   2. Archaic. Of or relating to wizards or wizardry.


I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but here goes....

ms has ruined the word "wizard" for me. Frankly, any time it comes to using it, I am filled with dread. You wouldn't believe how many bad experiences I've had with these (applies to 98se AND xp, equally), from locking up, to all of a sudden retrieving stuff from the net, to starting countless other wizards, to, you think you awswered all of its' questions, then 10 more fly out at you, to register now, on and on it goes!!!

Now I see AOS4.0 has that silly looking wizard as well (what is this, some kind of SW law?)! The memory of those horrific experiences could spill over to new (as well as veteran) users (ME!).


That's why I bring this up....

Possible alternative???

Genie
n.

   1. A supernatural creature who does one's bidding when summoned.
   2. A jinni.

Anybody have any opinion, or does it make a difference to you at all? Pointless topic?


AmigaOne! Open the bottle, puff of smoke, then the magic starts! :-D

[raddydaddy]

"Pontless Topic?" - Great Topic!

Micro$oft have been incorporating more humanistic interfaces in their programs due to the feedback from average newbies who are overwhelmed with options. As anybody can relate to the imagery of a wizard (pointy hat and spindly beard) it makes the interface communicate with personality. Of course, due to the widespread  nature of these programs, other companies started to use wizards as the synonym for step by step configurations.  

Poor wizards.

I think for amigaOS, we have to accomodate the 'average joe' users with an intuitive interface - but also with step by step quicklinks to common tasks (ie. M$ Wizards). Wizards are wise and use magic so i guess thats the connection, but genies do what you tell them to!

Ideally, I would like a friend to take me through the difficult tasks of a program -  a universal Amiga friend pivotal to the OS - im thinking Amy the Squirrel, who helps me install the OS, configure it and take me step by step through common program tasks! Put her in a lamp, stick the lamp on the desktop, double click to rub it!

[Diezman]

I thought the use of a "Wizard" is way to Windows-like.  In keeping
with the Workbench theme, how about "Handyman" or "Assistant?"

--Aaron

[xeron]

Diezman wrote:
I thought the use of a "Wizard" is way to Windows-like.

Really, I mean... who cares?!  :roll:

  In keeping
with the Workbench theme, how about "Handyman" or "Assistant?"

If you don't like Wizard because its too windows like, you shouldn't like "Assistant", because it is too MS. Office like....

[420Dude]

i think the Genie idea is clever,

         it says:
              "what can i do for you master? your wish is my command! can i load  up your bong for you with chronic too?"
           and the wizard:
"go fetch me some dog hairs and fly wings ,boy, else i'll Zapp ya to a Sizzle!"


personally, i think a Boingball-texured BunnyRabbit would be the best Amiga Mascot/figure!
  throughout the world, the animal is known to be:
  VERY VERY
1. cute
2. speedy
3. fertile
4. tame/non violent
5. cheap to feed
6. convenient, easy to clean Kaka
7.look good boingballed (thier balls are always    boinging.....)
8. other things too

        Picture This Vision.
you boot up your OS4 system and instantly greeted with....

-ambient soundtrack and THX-style mega-soundFX
-camera angles towards a massive archway, oozing with fog and atmosphere
-then in graceful hops, emerges our hero figure,
-raytraced text slashing through:
              "cute, huh?"
               "what it CAN DO is even cuter!"
-screen goes all plasma-psychadelic and the bunny does some impossible acrobatics or something and AMiga O.S.4 workbench screen  pops up, all ready to regulate.

and THEN,
-genie rolls up a greeny - im at dfuka, lo tavinee!
                                               
whadda y'all think?

ps-the "archway" symbolically represents a wide passage way / entrance.  much better than climbing in/out of head/nut bumping" Windows"...(with a will or a need thats strong ,you can use those for entrances/exits but inly if there is no better choice)

[alx]

I think a wizard-style interface is fine for things like networking (the expert interface looks terrifying  :-)  ) but I certainly don't think we should have them for everything, like cleaning up the desktop.

-ambient soundtrack and THX-style mega-soundFX
-camera angles towards a massive archway, oozing with fog and atmosphere
-then in graceful hops, emerges our hero figure,
-raytraced text slashing through:
"cute, huh?"
"what it CAN DO is even cuter!"
-screen goes all plasma-psychadelic and the bunny does some impossible acrobatics or something and AMiga O.S.4 workbench screen pops up, all ready to regulate.

and THEN,
-genie rolls up a greeny - im at dfuka, lo tavinee!

Nooo :-o  Do that if you want, but even m$ doesn't go that far :-)

[B00tDisk]

420Dude wrote:
whadda y'all think?

ps-the "archway" symbolically represents a wide passage way / entrance.  much better than climbing in/out of head/nut bumping" Windows"...(with a will or a need thats strong ,you can use those for entrances/exits but inly if there is no better choice)

I think you've been dropped on your head, and I think I'd throw any computer so configured into the garbage.  Fortunateley this is planet earth and it's unlikeley any such abomination would ever be produced...

[420Dude]

whats with the panicky feedback??

-your computer isnt taxed in the least by running a 5-10  second audio/video segment while its booting up the startup sequence!!

just a cool flash as yayou switch on the power- who said you have to render the graphix everytime? running a playback of it (or anything) makes no/little demand/reduction of system performance!

-why compare to a MicroSoft Weenie ( micro AND soft)

i think its a sweet idea! (not that i know how to make it happen-), thats all, no bloats and no wares- not a tool or a program- just a sharp looking touch to set a smoothe mood for the inovative use of OS4

PS; of course iwas just kidding about the weed handling/supplying Geenie.... but if anybody knows if/where they can be found..... you make sure to LET ME KNOW about it!!

[B00tDisk]

420Dude wrote:
whats with the panicky feedback??

It's not "panic" it's "incredulity".

-your computer isnt taxed in the least by running a 5-10  second audio/video segment while its booting up the startup sequence!!

No, my computer may not be taxed.  My patience, however, would be.  I found startup movies on my Amiga to be fun - for about two or three startups.  Then I quit doing it.  Why?  Because I wanted to get to work.

just a cool flash as yayou switch on the power- who said you have to render the graphix everytime? running a playback of it (or anything) makes no/little demand/reduction of system performance!

See above.  Not all of us have crawled inside a bong.  

-why compare to a MicroSoft Weenie ( micro AND soft)

I have no idea what you're on about here.

i think its a sweet idea! (not that i know how to make it happen-), thats all, no bloats and no wares- not a tool or a program- just a sharp looking touch to set a smoothe mood for the inovative use of OS4

I think 99.98% of the computing world would immediately find it rubbish and the Amiga would be doomed to the oblivion it has the opportunity to come out of.  

The kind of thing you're talking about is suitable for video game consoles or children's computer software, not general use computers.  Render the animation and put a line in your startup-sequence if you need this; don't suggest burdening the entire platform with it.  

PS; of course iwas just kidding about the weed handling/supplying Geenie.... but if anybody knows if/where they can be found..... you make sure to LET ME KNOW about it!!

The last thing you need is more grass, Cheech.

[olegil]

Basically, whatever you call it, if it IS a Wizard (we've had those for ages on the Amiga as well, sure frelling beats having to configure everything from scratch), why not call it that? It's something people will recognize. If you have to keep making new names for everything, you end up with names like "Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Happy Vertical People Transporters" (you know, an elevator? :-) ). And then someone discovers how to get people to the third floor by way of a "staircase".

Other examples:
Die
Have you ever heard anyone say that someone "died"? No, they "passed away" etc. Over the past few decades, the name for dying has changed more than once here in Norway. Why? Because the old expression got a negative spin. So you have to find new expressions that doesn't have the same negative spin, and then one day THAT expression will need replacement.

Much easier solution:
Remove the elements that create the negative spin (in this case, FIX THE FRELLING WIZARDS SO THEY DO WHAT THEY SHOULD), _not_ make new names and continue on the same bad road to hell (which is paved with good intentions, as anyone knows...)

[B00tDisk]

What Olegil said.

Furthermore, if we drop "wizard" as you suggest, then shall we drop "window"?  And "Mouse"?  And...what else?

[Xand]

@Atheist
I really didn't take time to read the whole thread, so someone may already have said this.
At least some of the earlier Amiga programs already used Genies long before MS came out with their Wizards.