[maxmsp] Re: why we will not use max 5

Now that everyone's made fun of this poor person...

I've often been dismayed by software- and os-developers' attitudes that photorealism, 3D, dropshadows and hyperdetailed interface components are a good thing.  At some point too much detail causes eye fatigue and is in general distracting.  I don't think there should be any detail in an GUI object that doesn't directly support the object.  Otherwise, it's nothing but style without purpose.  

I don't care one way or another about Max's new rounded corners.  But, in all seriousness, I think the OS9 design esthetic is far superior to OSX, and I think Logic's v3 interface was far superior to v4+.  The icons and objects clearly communicated their purpose without excess detail.  Do we *really* need a photorealistic image of a HD vs a well-made icon?  Do we really need overly-3D faders when the less detailed version communicated just as much information?  

Maybe it's a "real world" bias people bring into computers.  The sliders in Logic are *not* physical sliders -- They're software.  Why do they have to look so much like real ones?  The HD icon is OSX is a figurative representation -- Why does it need to look exactly like the real thing?  Using that logic, all website should have a door and doorframe as their homepages, then a series of doors, filing cabinets and draws to get information.

One man's long and perhaps rambling opinion.

Adam