by gregnockolds » Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:57 am
Why do we have to put up with Apple apologists in a MediaMonkey forum? Is there no safe haven?!
"Exceptionally clean interface" sure, if you find all those pesky mouse-over balloons annoying and would rather just guess what clicking ANYWHERE in the interface is going to do.
But it is a *really cool* interface, check out the way those little arrow-head icons (the music store links) line up so neatly right down the screen, that's way cool 'cause there are so many of them (there's one for EVERY title and EVERY artist displayed in your library) I know the iTunes business model (its the No 1 excuse dragged out by any Appleogists should someone dare to point out a shortcoming with iTunes) and hence can understand why they are so keen for us to visit the store, but it makes no sense at all to clutter the screen with such a redundant array of icons. Why not make the title itself a hyperlink, or a right-mouse menu item. Oops, forgot! Apple is still getting over that "one button is more than enough" foobar!
Then there's that "really cool" status display thing (?) top and centre that can, get this, double as a equalizer display - as well as telling what is downloading or if the ipod is being updated - all you have to do is click on that intuitive little arrow thingy on the left and it toggles through any other messages it wants to tell you about, obvious really. What? You're wondering what that little cross icon does on the other side of that really cool equalizer/status window?.. It stops doing the thing that its telling you its doing, I *think* it only stops the one that you can see.
Another way cool thing is the mass-editing process: just imagine you want to update all the "xyz" artist's tracks. You click on the first track, hold down the shift key and start scrolling down (with either the down arrow or page-down key), but you go too far and need to back it up a track or two. No worries you think, just keep shift pressed and tap the up-arrow key a few times. wrong! That (bugger me!) extends the selection ABOVE the first track that you selected!
ok, just one more thing (it's like shooting fish in a barrel). What's with the magician's hand that lets you drag the border between the browser pane (which isn't really a browser pane, it performs a filter function, NOT a browsing function!) and the library list? Well it actually moves the border, kinda like what happens when you click and drag the mouse over a column border, or over the side border between the playlist (yeah, they are really *solid* playlists, so what!) and the library list. Well in fact its *EXACTLY* the same, except they used the magician's hand in the first case and the standard double-headed arrow every else you resize borders.
Sorry for the rant people, I'm either preaching to the converted (or the lucky/wise iTune virgins!) or else starting a flaming war with some appleogists. I've held back on many a discussion list where similar pointless defences have been raised for iTunes, but NOT in a MM forum where it should be obvious that aficionados of this feature-rich (and yes a bit buggy) product can have little or no interest in iTunes beyond its few functions that can't be done easily elsewhere (namely podcast and video syncing).
Why do we have to put up with Apple apologists in a MediaMonkey forum? Is there no safe haven?!
"Exceptionally clean interface" sure, if you find all those pesky mouse-over balloons annoying and would rather just guess what clicking ANYWHERE in the interface is going to do.
But it is a *really cool* interface, check out the way those little arrow-head icons (the music store links) line up so neatly right down the screen, that's way cool 'cause there are so many of them (there's one for EVERY title and EVERY artist displayed in your library) I know the iTunes business model (its the No 1 excuse dragged out by any Appleogists should someone dare to point out a shortcoming with iTunes) and hence can understand why they are so keen for us to visit the store, but it makes no sense at all to clutter the screen with such a redundant array of icons. Why not make the title itself a hyperlink, or a right-mouse menu item. Oops, forgot! Apple is still getting over that "one button is more than enough" foobar!
Then there's that "really cool" status display thing (?) top and centre that can, get this, double as a equalizer display - as well as telling what is downloading or if the ipod is being updated - all you have to do is click on that intuitive little arrow thingy on the left and it toggles through any other messages it wants to tell you about, obvious really. What? You're wondering what that little cross icon does on the other side of that really cool equalizer/status window?.. It stops doing the thing that its telling you its doing, I *think* it only stops the one that you can see.
Another way cool thing is the mass-editing process: just imagine you want to update all the "xyz" artist's tracks. You click on the first track, hold down the shift key and start scrolling down (with either the down arrow or page-down key), but you go too far and need to back it up a track or two. No worries you think, just keep shift pressed and tap the up-arrow key a few times. wrong! That (bugger me!) extends the selection ABOVE the first track that you selected!
ok, just one more thing (it's like shooting fish in a barrel). What's with the magician's hand that lets you drag the border between the browser pane (which isn't really a browser pane, it performs a filter function, NOT a browsing function!) and the library list? Well it actually moves the border, kinda like what happens when you click and drag the mouse over a column border, or over the side border between the playlist (yeah, they are really *solid* playlists, so what!) and the library list. Well in fact its *EXACTLY* the same, except they used the magician's hand in the first case and the standard double-headed arrow every else you resize borders.
Sorry for the rant people, I'm either preaching to the converted (or the lucky/wise iTune virgins!) or else starting a flaming war with some appleogists. I've held back on many a discussion list where similar pointless defences have been raised for iTunes, but NOT in a MM forum where it should be obvious that aficionados of this feature-rich (and yes a bit buggy) product can have little or no interest in iTunes beyond its few functions that can't be done easily elsewhere (namely podcast and video syncing).
