Spitfire - The KISS principle - GUI

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Spitfire - The KISS principle - GUI

Rolls-Royce Merlin Supermarine Engine

I recently watched a documentary on TV about the training of Spitfire pilots for the Battle of Britain. 18 - 19 - 20 years old and 8 or 9 hours training in a Spitfire. In one interview with a veteran, he said it was like being handed your first drivers licence and then getting in a Formula One racing car and told if you lost the race - you die. (Or crash & burn trying.)

But the most interesting comment was made by one chap who said after the battle he spoke to some captured German pilots and said to them: "Do you know why you lost?" "It was because you need to be highly trained and very skilled to fly a ME 109, but any i.d.i.o.t can fly a Spitfire.."

And that's the secret isn't it! The KISS principle. Keep it simple stupid. Worth remembering when designing GUI's and the like.

Google, IE 3, Irfanview, Apple iPod, even Ulead PhotoImpact, etc. Simply to use, beautiful to look at, and stunning in performance.

If you have to RTFM, you're too complicated!

I always used to think of it as the Heavy Brigade verses The Light Brigade.

Netscape became the Heavy Brigade, as did IE 6. Firefox, so far, is The Light Brigade. As IE 7 B1 has become.

KISS The Light Brigade...

[FthrJACK]

True, but doesent apply to everything.

like, im glad brainsurgery is complicated, or every id*** would be offering to do it like with plastic surgery (and that isnt so simple as it is!)

Or games, simple games tend to be fun for a bit, tetris, pacman, or my all time classic fave space-invaders. But they "suck" when something more complicated and indepth takes your attention away.

And dont forget, it took something that, for the first time making it without the supporting industry. was as complicated as it comes, to end the war - the A bomb. on the base of it, the A Bomb is a pretty unsofisticated and "simple" device. But building it when it was built and coming up with how to do it in the first place was like someone building a Genesis Bomb (a la Startrek) today.

My dads uncle used to fly a Spitfire, his house was festooned with shells and bits of airplane, it was like aladins cave in his house - but it was all brass not gold i remember him showing me the lumps in his legs and back - bits of shrapnel from german rounds and bits of his own airplane that where never cut out of him.

I wouldnt put an I pod on that list tho, i find them pretty horid looking and clumsy to use - easy to miss key with that stupid pad, and the software you have to install to use it is:

1) pointless

2) bloated

3) insidious

There shouldnt be a need to install the glut of software that makes god knows how many changes to your machine, registry, and makes folders all over your hard disk. The Ipod is only a removable drive device - like a dongle or memory card - they dont need software, why does the ipod? you should be able to just plug it in, open the drive in my computer and dump stuff on it. oooh no, Steve doesent want that, he wants you to have to infect your machine with apples "brand" crap first. i hate apple, always trying to make itself into some kind of lifestyle brand or fasion symbol, your NOT Nike or Rebook or something Steve Jobs, your a company that sells proprietry crap in gummy-bear-candy coloured boxes, nice on the outside (if you like kids toys) pile of un-upgradable-warranty-removed-if-you-look-through-a-vent-garbage.

Please, all mac users, send me your ipods, your cubes, your stupid looking Anime esque monitors and your horrid mice, and ill make good use out of them on November the 5th, which is guy fawkes night here in the uk. ill post pictures for y'all too.

/endrant

sorry got carried away

[mark]

Nice rant. Both of you are correct. I think that making a good GUI for the first time around is important. It can give a good introduction to more complicated things. How about programs that are set up with novice, intermediate and expert modes? I can think of one good example here at MSFN.

My dad flew Seafires after the war. As of about 15 years ago, only 2 of the original 32 in his squadron were still alive. They died over the years for various reasons but one was accidents like flying into the back of an aircraft carrier.

DL

Edited September 28, 2005 by DL

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Please, all mac users, send me your ipods, your cubes, your stupid looking Anime esque monitors and your horrid mice, and ill make good use out of them on November the 5th, which is guy fawkes night here in the uk. ill post pictures for y'all too.

Yes, it's Guy Fawkes night here too.. KISS Principal. Light the fuse, throw and stand back.

Unfortunately, we are not allowed to let off any crackers now. Blows too many kids eyes out and sets fire to the grass and the neighbours roofs, etc. God, I miss it.

The smell of old burning rubber tyres..

You bring back fond memories!

[prathapml]

My dad flew Seafires after the war.  As of about 15 years ago, only 2 of the original 32 in his squadron were still alive.  They died over the years for various reasons but one was accidents like flying into the back of an aircraft carrier.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Darn!

And to think that our impression was, war-time is the worse, and peace-time couldn't kill you....

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accidents like flying into the back of an aircraft carrier.

Lucky George Bush didn't do that when he landed to tell everyone the war in Iraq was won!

At least that was on my news service where I am located: Paradise.

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PS. Do you think the co-pilot actually landed the aircraft. He'd be the Top Gun No.1 flyer in the US wouldn't he?

No chances taken.