[IxDA Discuss] RE : Re: RE : Re: Bumptop

[Alain D. M. G. Vaillancourt]

--- Jim Drew <cfmdesigns at earthlink.net> a écrit :

> They allow "folding corners" because we sometimes fold corners.  But
> why do we do that?  We do it because (a) we don't have a better way
> to apply a mark and (b) because there are physical properties
> associated with it such as texture and visibility from a distance. 
> They can solve (a) and they can't help with (b), which removes a lot
> of the purpose of doing it in the first place.

Instead of reiventing the wheel and "solving" a problem which has
already been solved I think it was a genius act on their part to pick
the "folding" metaphor as one possible way of marking among so many
others (that they could also implement, eventually, I hope) because:

1) - It is easy and extremely common in the real world
2) - It's also very visible on a digital desktop and its nature leaves
room for all kind of digital extensions of the metaphor, like a
"rubber"  folded corner, and others that might come along later
3) - The folded corner graphic symbol is so common in icon
representations of documents that it just begs to be carried forther
into a digital marking act.  In this way, you're building on past
digital tradiion which his embedded in user memory.
 
> Similar arguments arise for "messy piles" and "sticking things to the
> wall"  and "throw and bump" and "crumple before discarding".  They
> aren't doing these things to actually solve problems; they are doing
> them to replicate the physical world even when that isn't helpful, a
> cross between "kewl" and "physical is always best".

Their messy piles need work yes, but notice how carefully they've kept
the "wall" "clean"? In the last 20 years I've seen so many 3D desktops
which tried to copy the real world that I can't help but cheer when I
see one like this which is absolutely clean and leaves space for many
interpretations and further expansions.

I've also seen countless "kewl" attempts at 3D desktops in the last 20
years and the muted, discrete surfaces of Bumptop has very little in
common with them.

Alain Vaillancourt

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