Joel spolsky windows shutdown

Like Joel Spolsky says in a follow-up :. In fact, the last we heard from the MacBU was that they were having trouble finding enough qualified people to hire. But I would not be surprised to hear that similar structural problems affect the MacBU, on a smaller scale. After all, the MacBU, even though it might have difficulty recruiting people, is still the largest third-party Mac developer out there.

Switch User and Lock can be combined by letting a second user log on when the system is locked. That would probably save a lot of forced-logouts anyway. Another option down. The only thing Log Off gets you is that it exits all running programs. One more option gone. Restart can be eliminated. For the other cases, you can just turn the power off and then turn it on again. Another option goes away.

Less choice, less pain. You see, you may have one or more files. As if you cared at this point that there could be more than one.

As if it made the slightest amount of difference. Or that even advanced users, programmers with PhDs in Computer Science who know all about full text indexes, would not be able to figure out what they are really being asked to choose from. Freedom of choice can be wonderful. People love to order espresso-based beverages at Starbucks because they get to make so many choices. Extra hot! In the case of help files, people are looking at the help file because they are having trouble accomplishing something they really want to accomplish , like making a birthday invitation.

Now, some annoying help-index-engine-programmer at Microsoft with an inflated idea of his own importance to the whole scheme of things has the audacity , the chutzpah , to interrupt the user once again and start teaching the user things about making lists or databases.

And believe you me, users care about a lot less things than you might think. They are using your software to accomplish a task. They care about the task. As if the user was a moron who needed to take a little two step mini-course in the choice that they are being offered so that they can make an educated decision.

It has been said that design is the art of making choices. When you design a trash can for the corner, you have to make choices between conflicting requirements. It needs to be light so the trash collector can dump it out.

It needs to be large so it can hold a lot of trash. Someone else will make an easier program that accomplishes the same task with less intrusions, and most users will love it. When Microsoft Excel 3.