Ok, thanks for clarifying that point. 👍🏻 And yes, I did have to learn Photoshop, and subsequently Affinity, and more recently I’ve been trying Pixelmator Pro. So I understand that some things do have a learning curve. But I will also point out, all of them use pretty standard symbols for similar tools. They all use pen symbols for a pen tool, etc. Affinity didn’t just toss a smiley face icon in the toolbar and expect people to say “woh, that’s a brush!”. 🤷🏼♂️
I don’t really see that happening for everything. I think there will still be good reason for GUI in one way or another for many things. 👍🏻
Seriously? Okay. So I guess I'm not the only old hand here. Great. I remember it very well when a friend and I went to Bense Systemhaus in Münster for a consultation. Greetings to Australia!
Yeah, I don’t remember that. I grew up using Windows, but ended up switching to Mac after Windows 10. I absolutely hated the annoying automatic updates. And early on, you couldn’t schedule them for later, so they’d just install whenever it wanted. I lost all kinds of project files due to that. So I decided to switch to macOS, and then moved to iPadOS from there. Still have a Mac and enjoy using it for some stuff, but switched to iPad for my primary computer/laptop, as it’s a better fit for my workflow. But yeah, I grew up using Windows, so hopped onto Mac later. 👍🏻
I remember the flying toasters on windows. Tom Watson in Endicott, at IBM.
Do you mean "After Dark"? Well, yes, I remember this also.
I remember Smith Corona Personal Word Processors. Do I win a prize?
Yes, of course! The candidate wins 100 rubber points! Whatever that means.
Indeed. But if Adobe had been using a smiley face icon for decades as the defacto brush icon, people who have been using Photoshop for that entire time would have a reasonable expectation that the icon should not be changed, and that new users would need to learn what it is. There is also a significant difference between an application icon (make it distinct!) and a tool icon (make the function understood!) within an application, notwithstanding clarity still required in each case.
Yep. And I remember being able to copy the app for it from older OSes for a few years after Apple dropped it from the default OSX install.
I would point out though, Adobe is the predominant creative software. If Affinity came along and decided to use completely different symbols for tools, it would just hurt their ability to compete. Similar is true for Apple. Windows is the predominant desktop OS whether we like it or not (I certainly don’t, but it is what it is). So essentially it would be more like Adobe consistently uses a pen symbol for pens, brush for brushes, etc. But then Affinity comes along and decides to use a smiley face icon for brushes…
I lament not having a remote to control my Mac on a near daily basis. Front Row was wonderful.
Old enough to have used Apple II-era personal computers when they were new.
It doesn't feel like it was 20 years ago! I used to use Front Row heaps! I was sad when they took it away.
I don't know. I see your point, it makes enough sense, but I'd be really sad to see the smiley finder icon go. It'd feel like squashing a little bit of joy.
Finder is also such a weird special case. It's literally the only thing in the Dock whose icon you can't readily change if you don't like it. Every other app you can just paste a new icns file into the Get Info icon and it will change the app icon.
That’s interesting. I’d never thought to check that out.
