Survex

[Robert Smallshire]

> There is certainly the expectation with 'modern' Windows software (i.e.
> not software that's migrated from 3.1) that there is 'no need' to read a
> manual, e.g. that menus are intuitive and there is context-sensitive
> help. Using such a package is 'pleasing'. :-)

> If I had the relevant skills Id offer them. Im sure its just a case of a
> few lines of Visual Basic. When I get there (Im trying to teacgh myself
> VB at the moment) I'll let you know.

As somebody who professionally writes cross-platform 3D visualisation
applications for use by geological professionals in the oil-and-gas industry
( http://www.mve.com ) which need to be easy to use in order to sell, I
would say that knocking out a few lines of VB is exactly what making a user
friendly front end is _not_ about!

Many of our software features require basic inputs not actually much more
complicated than that required by Survex - although the whole application
and data sizes are somewhat larger - nonetheless upto 60% of developer time
is spent working on user interface design, implementation and bug fixing -
the remaining 30% on the underlying algorithms.  If you want that
'intuitive', 'modern', Windows behaviour, with context sensitive help, then
you really need to be prepared for the amount of effort this really is.
Tools like VB largely allow programmers to create a bad, unintuitive UI more
rapidly!

The number of users who are happy with using a command line - or indeed are
capable of _finding_ a command line is dwindling inexorably.  I expect it
really comes down to the personal motivation of the Survex developers
themselves, and whether they are happy to spend the majority of their time
hacking UI code in Qt or wxWindows or GTK+ or whatever in order to make
Survex usable by a broad spectrum of cave surveyors, or whether it will
remain a niche tool for the expert done for the purposes of writing a 'good'
cave survey processor - like the difference between Emacs + Latex and
MS-Word.

Don't estimate the effort required for a top-notch UI!

Rob Smallshire

Senior Development Engineer &
Structural Geologist
Midland Valley Exploration

rob@mve.com

www.mve.com