Re: Green-screen versus browser

I have seen this argument from both sides and we have moved not only from 
GREEN SCREEN to windows, but BACK TO GREEN SCREENS.  They are simple, 
effective, easier to navigate, easier to use, leave less room for error, 
provide us the information we need without wasted space.

The bottom line is who is making the ultimate decision and what is their 
reasoning; I would never move an app to a windows platform just because 
someone says it looks cooler than a green screen.  Does it get the job done? 
If so, I use the old adage if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Douglas

On Mon, 25 Apr 2005 11:18:14 -0500 (CDT), Scott Klement wrote
> Hi Reeve,
> 
> >
> > Am I missing any points meaningful to senior management?
> 
> I think one of the major issues that you're missing is the idea of 
> "presentation" vs "utility".  How something is presented to the user 
> makes a big difference, even if it doesn't seem practical.
> 
> For example, When you walk down the aisle of a grocery store,
>  studies have shown that the packages that are most pleasing to the 
> eye are the ones that sell. Not necessarily the food that tastes the 
> best, or has the lowest price (Though those factors do help!) but 
> the most important thing for attracting customers is how the package 
> looks.
> 
> The same is true of your screens. How they look to the user is a BIG 
> DEAL as to how satisfied your users will be. This is the face of 
> your application to them, this is all they see.
> 
> Sure, green screens are practical.
> 
> Let me use another analogy... clothing.  What's needed for clothes 
> to be practical?  They don't have to match. They don't have to look 
> good at all, in fact. They just have to protect you from the weather,
>  that's all. Yet, it's very important to all of us to look good. We 
> want nice looking, new clothes. We want to coordinate them so the 
> colors look good together, they fit us well (well, some better than 
> others!) and that they're appropriate for different events. How they 
> look to others is paramount.
> 
> The same is true for your comptuer programs.  How the screens look 
> is absolutely vital. You should be putting as much effort into how 
> they look as you do into how they work -- both are important!
> 
> And that's a HUGE reason why green screen fails.  In fact, the green 
> screen paradigm is a big part of the decline of the iSeries.  Nobody 
> wants a system where all/most of the programs are green screen.  
> It's ABSOLUTELY KILLING US.  And IBM has given us not one, but 
> SEVERAL ways to make them GUI and for some reason we're not doing it.
> 
> There's more to marketing than paying for advertisements!  You have 
> to make your applications look good, and when everyone does that,
>  it'll make the iSeries look good.  Until then, it's a "legacy machine."
> 
> ---
> Scott Klement  http://www.scottklement.com
> -- 
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