Re: Adding an icon to the dock

FROM : I. Savant
DATE : Sat Nov 03 18:10:06 2007

On Nov 3, 2007, at 12:50 PM, Steve Israelson wrote:

> One issue my clients always mention is that most users are not that 
> computer savvy.


  Making (potentially dangerous) modifications to your users 
computers to overcompensate for a small percentage of users who don't 
know how to use their computers is a rather bad idea. However, if you 
*must* do this, make it an installer script and ask the user if they 
want to install the app in their dock.

> Me, being a savvy user, just cringes, like most of you, when I hear 
> this, but the problems these users have are real ones and how to 
> make those users lives easier is the problem to solve.


  This is for Apple to resolve as the maker of the operating system, 
not individual developers. File an enhancement request on the 
installer app or the OS in general. In the meantime, you can argue 
with your client that such forcible modifications to the dock's 
preferences are potentially dangerous and it's not up to individual 
authors to take such risks to 'help' the smaller percentage of users 
who can't be bothered to read the manual and learn how to install 
applications.

  I have argued and will continue to argue this with clients in the 
past (successfully) on similar points. You're *always* going to have 
illiterate users. Why short-circuit things and punish the rest just 
for them?

--
I.S.