From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 24880 invoked by alias); 21 Jul 2004 01:11:01 -0000 Mailing-List: contact xconq7-help@sources.redhat.com; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: xconq7-owner@sources.redhat.com Received: (qmail 24863 invoked from network); 21 Jul 2004 01:11:00 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO sccrmhc12.comcast.net) (204.127.202.56) by sourceware.org with SMTP; 21 Jul 2004 01:11:00 -0000 Received: from [192.168.181.128] (c-67-172-156-222.client.comcast.net[67.172.156.222]) by comcast.net (sccrmhc12) with ESMTP id <2004072101105901200fkmque>; Wed, 21 Jul 2004 01:10:59 +0000 Message-ID: <40FDC28D.4060708@phy.cmich.edu> Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2004 01:33:00 -0000 From: Eric McDonald User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 0.7.1 (Windows/20040626) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Hans Ronne CC: xconq7@sources.redhat.com Subject: Re: Weird fuel behavior References: <40FDA6C6.3000208@apple.com> <40FDA6C6.3000208@apple.com> In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-SW-Source: 2004/txt/msg00792.txt.bz2 Hans Ronne wrote: >>I like the idea of panes on the side, as opposed to the bottom or top. >>Makes the aspect ratio of the main map closer to that of a square. >>Question is, are sides the most comfortable for the human eye? > > > I doubt that. It was pointed out a long time ago that most computer games > have this stuff in arow at the bottom, just where the instrument panel in a > car is located, and probably for the same reason. Like the fact that the firewall separating the cockpit from the engine compartment is located there (in most cars)? ;-) Why put the dash board near the roof of the car or off to the side, if the bottom is already blocked? I think that could simply be a matter of not wasting viewable area. >I don't think most users > would prefer a square map window, but rather a wider "panoramic" view. All those houses with square windows.... >This > is after all what we are used to since we live on a surface (the Earth) so > the human brain is probably hard-wired to like it. The reason why I posed the question is because a similar evolutionary conjecture had crossed my mind as well. However, I was hoping that someone would chime in with an ergonomic or interface design study that would more strongly suggest a resolution to the wide rectangle vs. square question. Eric