Re: [LCtalk] Will it do what I want?

[Fokko van Duin]

At 00:07 +0100 04-01-2008, PragmaLab wrote:
> The problem (challenge) is to design the program in such a way that 
> novice, moderate and experienced users can easily find their way 
> around. I'm not saying LCEdit is worthless, I'm just saying that it can 
> be improved in many ways.

The only thing I agree ;-)

As you know there are many HI concepts, and many of them failed in 
practice. The thing is that HI designers -if- they have a good 
concept, it's in practice near impossible to create it without: a. 
Huge costs, b. structural failures (instabilities). People tend to 
believe that anything is possible in software; in practice many 
things are simply not feasible, as the software becomes instable, 
very slow, too expensive, incompatible with the OS it runs on, etc.

So, yes LCedit+ can be improved, and yes we have already had several 
concepts for LCedit+ v4, but:

1. We keep using the current multi-platform framework.
2. Accept the limits and restrictions due to framework and/or 
software complexity.

As it has proven, this is for us the only way to create reliable 
software, which is I think far more important then a perfect human 
interface which crashes all the time, and is too slow.


> I've been examining SW-packages for a long time and so far I found only 
> Midi based packages that are suitable to control the Lanbox (which in 
> fact turns it into an expensive Midi-DMX converter). Lassi is not able 
> to control moving lights and controling moving lights in a 
> comprehensive way is the real testcase for these kind of packages. 
> Setting up cues in a list using dimmers only might be sufficient for 
> some users, but not for me. If real alternatives for LCEdit exist, 
> please report a list.

Is above statement not proving that you are asking for, is near 
impossible? If it really was just a matter of a good human interface, 
there was at least a list of programs. Creating usable software is by 
itself a very complex story, and we should accept shortcomings or 
search for a better compromise.

It's just as with houses; the perfect house does not exist, and if it 
exist, you can't afford it :-) I still think we have build a solid 
program, with shortcomings which can be improved in time.

I would like to end this discussion, until we have a preview of 
LCedit+ v4, with such a human interface interface that we don't need 
a manual anymore ;-)

Regards,

Fokko van Duin,
CDS advanced technology bv,
http://www.lanbox.com/