Like the gist of this, but encouraging designers to do anything on a command line seems like a bad idea to me. It’s never bad to have more knowledge. But its way better to have more tools that make sure that designers can interact with version control in a visual way. Otherwise you are relying on visual people learn abstract concepts. In a lot of cases this will just not happen and expecting it to is a recipe for failure.
The reason for a visual interface is to suggest a rational set of possible action to the user. A command line you have to learn and remember commands, so even if it is the best way to full understand what you are doing, because otherwise you just can’t do it. Only people who use the tools every day should be in a terminal. The rest of us should try and find tools that remind us what the appropriate choices are. That is, if we expect anyone but the hardcore to be doing any significant work.
I think this is in evidence by that fact that designers don’t find and use version control unless recommended by coders.
I will try the recommended software when I get back to my iMac .
Creation
September 8, 2011 at 12:06 am |
Like the gist of this, but encouraging designers to do anything on a command line seems like a bad idea to me. It’s never bad to have more knowledge. But its way better to have more tools that make sure that designers can interact with version control in a visual way. Otherwise you are relying on visual people learn abstract concepts. In a lot of cases this will just not happen and expecting it to is a recipe for failure.
The reason for a visual interface is to suggest a rational set of possible action to the user. A command line you have to learn and remember commands, so even if it is the best way to full understand what you are doing, because otherwise you just can’t do it. Only people who use the tools every day should be in a terminal. The rest of us should try and find tools that remind us what the appropriate choices are. That is, if we expect anyone but the hardcore to be doing any significant work.
I think this is in evidence by that fact that designers don’t find and use version control unless recommended by coders.
I will try the recommended software when I get back to my iMac
.