>> Such interfaces are certainly much less work on the programmer (even 
>> though
> 
> That's debatable. Writing a single dialog with all options on the 
> screen, even under tabs is trivial compared to writing a wizard to guide 
> the user.

It's debatable that most of these wizards actually "guide" users. Mostly 
they just force you to go through a series of steps, whether that's what 
you're trying to do or not.

(I especially like the way many wizards start with a page that contains 
no options other than "next", and no information other than "welcome to 
this wizard".)

> This is why... novice users. Most people for some inconceivable reason 
> when presented with more than one or two options at a time go into an 
> absolute panic.

To me, this smacks of a psychological disorder.

> So, they have to simplify and dumb things down. 
> Sometimes it helps make things friendly by adding a "cute" character, 
> like that damned paper clip.

Now, to me, having all the relevant information available to me at once, 
without having to spend hours hunting around for it, makes the system 
seem far more "simple" than having lots and lots of windows to go 
through. (The crucial phrase here being "relevant".)

> Yes, it does. Because the advanced user knows what they want, and knows 
> where to get it. The advanced user desires fewer steps to accomplish a 
> task, and doesn't want to be handheld through a 5 step wizard just to 
> change which account their e-mail connects to.
> 
> So, software developers have a choice. They can either appease the 
> masses of novice users who get frightened when presented with a screen 
> full of gobbeldygook, or cater to the advanced user who just wants to do 
> what they want/need without having to waste time going through a maze of 
> pages leading from one step to the next.
> 
> Ever tried to use Winzip in Wizard mode? lol.
> 
> It would be nice if applications had a checkbox that said "I know what 
> I'm doing. Don't try to hold my hand."
> 
> I still fail to see how Office 2007's interface is any easier to use. I 
> much prefer the pull-down menus rather trying to wallow through dozens 
> of toolbars looking for what I need.

I might suggest that anybody who's trying to reconfigure which Exchange 
account their computer should connect to probably knows what they're 
doing already. (Most of the people I meet in my day job don't know what 
an Exchange server *is*.)

It always surprised me that M$ didn't make some sort of "business" 
version of Windows that is appropriate for business use. I mean, look at 
Windows XP Professional. It comes with such unecessary items as Windows 
Media Player and Windows Movie Maker, not to mention Freecell and 
Minesweeper. All of which have their place in a product designed for 
home users, but in a workplace?

I understand that there *is* a seperate business edition of Vista, so 
maybe they got it right this time?

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