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<x-charset iso-8859-1>Roger Smith wrote (in part) > VueScan is clunky on the Mac because it was written for > Windows and Ed Hamrick has run into some problems porting it to the > Mac and Linux. It is worth working through the learning curve, though > - most people feel it does a better job than the native scanning > software packaged with many scanners. I use VueScan on a PC, and it's clunky there too. Even so, I find it very valuable. And I respect Ed Hamrick's work and contribution to our on-line community very highly. Maybe VueScan is even clunkier on the Mac; I haven't tried it there, yet. But as a professional interaction designer, I have a very different perspective on why it is so hard to learn and use. The core problem is interaction design. First, the conceptual design is based on an implementation model: the interface reflects an engineering view of scanners and software, instead of the users' predictable intentions and workflow. Then that problem is compounded by numerous inappropriate interface design decisions. No matter what the internals of software have to be, the users' view must be designed around the human user and predictable tasks if the software is to be easy to learn, understand, and use. This is not easy, and is a very different issue from engineering and software construction. Ed Hamrick and I have exchanged several emails on the VueScan interface. He recognizes issues exist, but has chosen to focus his limited resources on scanner support and image quality. I understand and respect his decision. I hope (and expect) over time he will make interface improvements as well. Richard Wolfson rwolfson at LyricDesign.com - Turn off HTML mail features. Keep quoted material short. Use accurate subject lines. http://www.leben.com/lists for list instructions. </x-charset>
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