michaeltoe
09-26-2004, 08:29 AM
The best suggestion I can think of would be a centralized 'download console' that explains what-is and what-isn't being downloaded from the server... I think the more visual cues there are relating to the "on-demand" aspect of World Wind, the better.
Information about what's in the cache, what hasn't been viewed before, and the length of potential downloads are all important to someone using this program.
There are too many applications out there which leave the user in the dark about what it's doing. If a program takes a long time for something to load, the user should know exactly why that's the case. There shouldn't be any situation where the user is sitting there wondering whether the program is even working properly.
Since large portions of World Wind's content aren't local to the user, having a reliable set of status indicators is essential to making the program user friendly. Feedback has to be consistent, and shouldn't vary too substantially between different parts of the program.
I'm glad that there are already status bars and other things to indicate what's going on in individual windows, such as the 'animated earth' window. This doesn't seem like it's connected with other aspects of the program however. It seems like if you added a different feature, you'd need another status bar for that also.
A download console, or, a 'info bar' at the bottom of the window (such as in web browsers) provides a clean solution to a potentially messy issue. Assuming downloads are managed internally by a common process, keeping it consistent shouldn't prove obscenely difficult.
I'd also add, I love this program... I used something that worked like this a few years back, called Encarta Virtual Globe. I was frustrated that the detail was kept relatively low. You've just remedied my dissapointment.
These types of projects are what the internet was meant for, and I'm glad to see you're out there fulfilling its potential. Keep up the great work.
=p
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Information about what's in the cache, what hasn't been viewed before, and the length of potential downloads are all important to someone using this program.
There are too many applications out there which leave the user in the dark about what it's doing. If a program takes a long time for something to load, the user should know exactly why that's the case. There shouldn't be any situation where the user is sitting there wondering whether the program is even working properly.
Since large portions of World Wind's content aren't local to the user, having a reliable set of status indicators is essential to making the program user friendly. Feedback has to be consistent, and shouldn't vary too substantially between different parts of the program.
I'm glad that there are already status bars and other things to indicate what's going on in individual windows, such as the 'animated earth' window. This doesn't seem like it's connected with other aspects of the program however. It seems like if you added a different feature, you'd need another status bar for that also.
A download console, or, a 'info bar' at the bottom of the window (such as in web browsers) provides a clean solution to a potentially messy issue. Assuming downloads are managed internally by a common process, keeping it consistent shouldn't prove obscenely difficult.
I'd also add, I love this program... I used something that worked like this a few years back, called Encarta Virtual Globe. I was frustrated that the detail was kept relatively low. You've just remedied my dissapointment.
These types of projects are what the internet was meant for, and I'm glad to see you're out there fulfilling its potential. Keep up the great work.
=p
-