Comments on: Hire an idiot or two

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:59:17 +0000

I’ve always thought that all the text of the user interface (label, button, etc.) should be searchable somehow. For a little while in 2005, it seemed like Apple’s obsession with desktop search (under the Spotlight brand) might do this, but then they seemed to lose interest in search.

Today I think the only non-file search on the Mac is the control panel. It’s pretty nice there: you can even type a synonym that never appears in the UI (like the Windows name for something) and it’ll find it.

It would be pretty sweet if you could open a search box somewhere in iPhoto, type “slideshow”, and have it highlight File->Export somehow.

By: James

James — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:35:47 +0000

I actually encountered this exact issue myself once. I was having trouble getting a video to export correctly from iMovie, and someone on Apple’s discussion boards suggested that I try saving a slideshow from iPhoto, to see if the problem was specific to iMovie or if it affected any QuickTime movies in general.

I had been using iPhoto for years and until then, I never, ever knew that you could actually save a slideshow out into a video file. Like you, I just assumed the option (if it existed) would be under “Share,” and I thought File > Export was only for still images.

@Matthew Harlington: I’ve always wondered that too…it seems arbitrary. Also, because it’s not a standard toolbar, you can’t customize the buttons in the regular way either. You have to go into (I think) the View menu and then individually toggle different icons on and off. It’s very strange and non-standard, and I don’t see what the logic is.

By: JD

JD — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:51:29 +0000

That was both a hilarious and very serious blog post. Love your blog, keep it up.

By: Matthew Harlington

Matthew Harlington — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:44:19 +0000

Can anybody tell me why the iPhoto toolbar is at the bottom, instead of at the top, like every other Mac application ever? Seems like a strange design decision.

By: Spencer Davis

Spencer Davis — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:48:49 +0000

I agree that the average user (idiot, if I may say so myself!) has become more computer-literate due to the increased complexity of Apple’s software.

This, though, can benefit us “pro-users” by allowing us to have a larger, more competent target audience with which we can user-test our finished software to a greater degree.