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Jean-Christophe Helary
am not there yet.
I've just found Chandler today:
http://chandlerproject.org/Developers/WebHome
It looks promissing, even though there seems to be performance issues
on my 1st generation MacBook...
Anybody else feels it is a little slow to react ?
Jean-Christophe Helary
------------------------------------
http://mac4translators.blogspot.com/
Chris Moore
way, but it looks like they're not quite where they want to be yet,
and even after they "arrive" the interface is too busy for my liking.
If, by "my data" you are talking about time management, I have
recently began using Things (by CulturedCode) which I have come to
love it for the simplicity of its interface. It looks mostly like a
todo/gtd app at first blush, but it has filled my calendar needs too
because of how easy it is to add due dates and reminders to the items.
It also is a good note taking app because each item can have notes
attached which can be tagged, sorted into hierarchical projects and
contexts, and because when the items are completed they are archived
in the Log Book instead of deleted I know can always go back and
search for them. If Things stops working the data is in XML and syncs
to the shared iCal data too so I can move on easily.
For data that I want to perform calculations on, I use Excel (Numbers
is slick, but has no pivot tables).
Textual information gets triaged:
Really temporary data that I just want to be able to see on screen
easily while I work but will be done with as soon as the current
project finishes (only for finishable projects, that is, ones with a
concrete goal that finshes within the day): Stickies - drag and drop
the selection to the Dock icon, double click the title bar to quickly
hide and show…delete when done (don't let this section pile up!)
Temporary information that I don't need right now, and will only need
temporarily later: Things - attach a note to a todo. (Surprisingly,
most information fits in this category)
Information that I am going to revise and ponder lots: pen and paper
or Keynote… freely arrange text and sketches, attach notes, rearrange
and outline. Pen and paper can be carried everywhere. Keynote can be
preserved, indexed and shared.
My triage has a fourth category: permanent data… Usually online
receipts, really important emails that I want copied in quadruplicate
and other information I probably will never need again, but really
should make sure I have a copy of, just in case: Save as PDF from the
print panel, and place in a black hol^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H folder where
it is preserved when I backup and indexed by Spotlight.
Chris Moore
2008/8/12 Jean-Christophe Helary <fus...@mx6.tiki.ne.jp>:
Jean-Christophe Helary
On 13 août 08, at 06:38, Chris Moore wrote:
> I looked at Chandler a long time ago. They've certainly come a long
> way, but it looks like they're not quite where they want to be yet,
> and even after they "arrive" the interface is too busy for my liking.
I did not like the lack of KB shortcuts and the latency between an
action and its result. That is the price of too much emphasis on
"multiplatform" code, where a native Cocoa app would run much faster.
> If, by "my data" you are talking about time management, I have
> recently began using Things (by CulturedCode) which I have come to
> love it for the simplicity of its interface.
It looks good, but it is not free software. I prefer free software for
practical reasons. And also because I see a lot of waste in trying to
re-invent the wheel for each new-coolest app.
I have been using emacs and its calendar/diary mode and it is quite
satisfying for most of my needs, and I know I can go further with
"planner" or "org" mode, but I am still looking for something that
integrates a nice GUI :)
> For data that I want to perform calculations on, I use Excel (Numbers
> is slick, but has no pivot tables).
You need pivot tables for managing your translation business
(genuinely asking) ?
> Textual information gets triaged:
>
> Stickies - drag and drop
> the selection to the Dock icon, double click the title bar to
> quickly hide and show…delete when done (don't let this section pile
> up!)
>
> Things - attach a note to a todo. (Surprisingly, most information
> fits in this category)
>
> pen and paper or Keynote… freely arrange text and sketches, attach
> notes, rearrange
> and outline. Pen and paper can be carried everywhere. Keynote can be
> preserved, indexed and shared.
>
> Save as PDF from the print panel, and place in a black
> hol^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H folder where it is preserved when I backup and
> indexed by Spotlight.
Interesting. I've tried Sidenotes recently, I use pen and paper too,
and pdf also.
I'm definitely going to work more on emacs and see where the low
hanging fruits are, they must be somewhere :)
Chris Moore
> I have been using emacs and its calendar/diary mode and it is quite
> satisfying for most of my needs, and I know I can go further with
> "planner" or "org" mode, but I am still looking for something that
> integrates a nice GUI :)
http://daringfireball.net/2004/04/spray_on_usability
I'm willing to pay a little for my conveniences… but to each their own. ^_^
>> For data that I want to perform calculations on, I use Excel (Numbers
>> is slick, but has no pivot tables).
>
> You need pivot tables for managing your translation business
> (genuinely asking) ?
I have a yearly accounting file with the following configuration:
A "Jobs" sheet that has the following information in columns:
- month and day I received the job and sent off the completed project
- Agency/client and project name
- payment unit, price per unit, number of units, subtotal
- notes (including my invoice filename or receipt filename, billing month etc.)
A "Jobs Summary" sheet that uses a pivot table to give me a per month
earning total summary of work done per customer and a few graphs and
charts generated from that pivot table.
Payments and payment summary sheets setup similar to the jobs sheets
(includes extra rows for tax deductions and bank fees)
Expenses and expenses summary sheet setup in the same way
A summary sheet that integrates values from the various summary sheets
and tells me things like how much I've earned and how much clients owe
me and so on.
All of these were very easy to set up and probably the most enjoyable
part of a given work day is looking over my summaries and seeing how
close I am to meeting my monthly goals and how far I've come in the
year. Pivot tables power the summaries, allowing me to just type in
simple new data for new jobs and refreshing to see per client totals,
per month totals, per client/per month totals, year to date totals and
so on. I could probably do this in Numbers, but it would require a LOT
of coding using only spreadsheet formulas. I could also do it using a
generic database engine because I can and do program, but in Excel I
could set the whole thing up with a couple clicks in about 15 minutes.
> I'm definitely going to work more on emacs and see where the low
> hanging fruits are, they must be somewhere :)
Yes, Emacs can do everything. As you said (or at least implied)
though, the usability (and discoverability) leaves a little to be
desired. That's not its fault; it was designed more than thirty years
ago before the advent of such truly radical innovations as the
graphical user interface. I understand why a certain kind of user will
appreciate its structural beauty and extensibility (simple LISP
modules enable this text editor to browse the web, send email, manage
your calendar and more) but I'm quite happy with the convenience of
mousing around and using tools specially tuned and designed for the
task at hand.
Chris Moore
Jean-Christophe Helary
On 13 août 08, at 15:17, Chris Moore wrote:
>> I have been using emacs and its calendar/diary mode and it is quite
>> satisfying for most of my needs, and I know I can go further with
>> "planner" or "org" mode, but I am still looking for something that
>> integrates a nice GUI :)
>
> http://daringfireball.net/2004/04/spray_on_usability
>
> I'm willing to pay a little for my conveniences… but to each their
> own. ^_^
I should have said "UI" and not "GUI", because my issue with Chandler
was not the graphical side of the UI, which was attractive and fitting
enough for my needs, but simply the fact that the interfacing itself
was not satisfying. And that can be said for both free and non-free
software.
Also, Gruber writes in reaction to ER's issues with Linux' network
configuration, but his conclusions are a little hasty (especially if
we consider how software has evolved since he wrote the piece):
> I’m not saying all commercial software is well-designed, nor that
> all free software is poorly-designed — what I’m saying is that
> software that does provide a well-designed, intuitive interface
> tends to be closed and commercial. The bigger the software, the more
> likely this is to be true.
He is the first to consider that Adobe's next implementation of its
major programs is total crap in terms of design. You can see how
things evolved with Vista too, and I read a number of reviews about
Office 2007/2008 that tend to say the same thing: the bigger, the less
easy it is to make it efficient.
I think he is right when it comes to small utility. His example:
System Preferences, and yours are good cases of speciality software
that does one thing well. And most of the Apple software ecology that
succeeds is made of small speciality software. The big names do not
succeed because they are good but because they have no (or too little)
competition. Everybody wants to know when the next Photoshop killer
will be released !
My other problem with non-free software is that it is only after
you've paid that you realize that the soft is not exactly what it
claims to be. It is all in the fine print and it only bites you when
you have a tight deadline.
- WindowsXP refused to install after a number of installs (all
legitimate, in different virtual environments to see which is the most
efficient), but especially when I needed it to access a Windows only
web interface (that depended on a proprietary .dll file).
- A Japanese OCR soft I bought refused to properly scan a simple
selectable-text based PDF and insisted on making an image of it before
OCRing its own image...
- Heartsome products requested the license key for updates, but I had
no idea where they had stored the key file...
- Parallels as sold on the Japanese Apple Store did not mention that
it was a Japanese only version and not, as is usually the case with
Apple apps, a fully multilingual version...
All this makes for a lot of time and money wasted, and whatever the
angle you choose to think about those problems, none show a lot of
professionalism on the maker's side. So maybe Gruber's conclusion
should rather be that only a very few programs are really worth the
money you spend on them...
So, besides for a few utility programs, I have found little value in
non-free software. And everything I was supposed to do with such
software could also be done in free software (with a few exceptions
that did not make the proprietary solution worth much more).
Then, back to the meat of the post...
>> You need pivot tables for managing your translation business
>> (genuinely asking) ?
>
> I have a yearly accounting file with the following configuration:
> A summary sheet that integrates values from the various summary sheets
> and tells me things like how much I've earned and how much clients owe
> me and so on.
I see. I don't, but I am thinking of having such a setting, but not in
Excel, although I need to find a way to make that simple, networkable
(to merge my wife's data) and practical. And a shared Excel file is
not the image I have of my setting ;)
> Yes, Emacs can do everything. <long snip> but I'm quite happy with
> the convenience of
> mousing around and using tools specially tuned and designed for the
> task at hand.
That's what emacs is about: managing textual data, in compartmented
and specialized ways depending on the "mode" used, also even though a
mouse can be useful sometimes, it is not the best choice most of the
time. But I am really not trying to convince you :) I really think the
"low hanging fruit" approach is the best for emacs. Anything above
that is for people who need to spend their day in a text editor...
Chris Moore
feelings, allow me to continue. :)
> I should have said "UI" and not "GUI", because my issue with Chandler
> was not the graphical side of the UI, which was attractive and fitting
> enough for my needs, but simply the fact that the interfacing itself
> was not satisfying. And that can be said for both free and non-free
> software.
I see that that is what you had intended, although I can't honestly
remember if I was commenting in response to your complaints of slow
response. *My* complaint with Chandler was its GUI. Too much stuff on
the screen. Admittedly it is dealing with a complex problem space and
I can understand how some users would prefer to have all the
information readily visible and available. I prefer as tidy a
workspace as possible, with the only the most common tasks on the
window and other tasks in the menu where they can be reached if
needed. Things is, at this point, the most polished interface I have
encountered for time management because it strives for simplicity,
retains the advantages of a graphically driven interface and scores
some subjective aesthetic points as well. It is by no means perfect,
but it is the application that best reflects my preferences I have
encountered so far. That is, it is the only time management
application that I have continued to use more than a week. (I have
tried many… and there is one, it seems, for every possible combination
of preferences available for the Mac.)
> Also, Gruber writes in reaction to ER's issues with Linux' network
> configuration, but his conclusions are a little hasty (especially if
> we consider how software has evolved since he wrote the piece):
I admit it was a little unfair to reply to a single phrase in your
comment with one of Gruber's longer essays.
>> I'm not saying all commercial software is well-designed, nor that
>> all free software is poorly-designed — what I'm saying is that
>> software that does provide a well-designed, intuitive interface
>> tends to be closed and commercial. The bigger the software, the more
>> likely this is to be true.
>
> He is the first to consider that Adobe's next implementation of its
> major programs is total crap in terms of design. You can see how
> things evolved with Vista too, and I read a number of reviews about
> Office 2007/2008 that tend to say the same thing: the bigger, the less
> easy it is to make it efficient.
Adobe's new interface they've started revealing (and many of their
previous ones) are ugly. I'll give you that. As for Microsoft, XP is
not the only time they've messed up interfaces badly. The default
Vista theme looks nice, but its looks detract from its usability.
(Transparency should be used to take focus away from important things:
the Leopard menu is nearly invisible when you want to ignore it and is
there when you don't. Vista pulls your attention to the task bar by
making it solid and helps you ignore your windows?… ) I think Office
2007s ribbon is conceptually a positive step, but poorly implemented.
Office 2008 is usable, but requires that you manage the toolbar and
palettes carefully, showing and hiding things as needed.
These examples of poor design by major companies does not change the
fact that they still manage to do a better job of design than FOSS for
GUI design in all of the following areas: usability (you complain
about Office 2007/8 but have you tried OpenOffice.org? You mention
Adobe, but have you used GIMP? You brought up Vista, but… ok… you
brought up Vista :) … Use a Mac), discoverability (people can figure
out new functions based solely on cues in the interface without
referring to a help system, manual or message board), innovation (for
every example of real FOSS *interface* innovation you can show me, I
can show you hundreds of *interface* innovations in paid/closed
software that FOSS has copied), and aesthetics. (This last one is,
admittedly, subjective. However, note the trends in Linux Distro
themes towards Vista style black toolbars, mac-like docks, exposé,
dashboard and so on. If Linux looked better, why do the apologists
talk about copying Apple and interface programmers copy Microsoft?)
> I think he is right when it comes to small utility. His example:
> System Preferences, and yours are good cases of speciality software
> that does one thing well. And most of the Apple software ecology that
> succeeds is made of small speciality software. The big names do not
> succeed because they are good but because they have no (or too little)
> competition. Everybody wants to know when the next Photoshop killer
> will be released !
True… but mostly because people are looking for more streamlined
interfaces. We've had all the options on screen already… I just want
to get my work done with less distraction. This requires more design
not less (to cut things on the screen to less, not more). The problems
regarding getting that design that Gruber brings up still count. While
there are plenty of examples of design for closed systems that are
growing old or just plain ugly, they are still better than most of
what is available in the FOSS ecosystem.
> My other problem with non-free software is that it is only after
> you've paid that you realize that the soft is not exactly what it
> claims to be. It is all in the fine print and it only bites you when
> you have a tight deadline.
Too true. Fortunately, most proprietary software does have free trials
available. I would never spend a penny on software I hadn't tried and
tested first. (Or received a great recommendation from someone I
trusted.)
> - WindowsXP …
> - A Japanese OCR soft…
> - Heartsome products…
> - Parallels as sold on the Japanese Apple Store…
Those experiences do suck. Software purchases require caution because
of the amount of buzz in the software industry, and the lack of
reality that meets the buzz. I am currently looking into getting a
Japanese OCR tool, but I'm not spending a single yen until I see it in
action or receive a recommendation from a trusted source.
On the other hand, what guarantees do you have regarding FOSS?… I
never ever got Japanese input working. I never was able to use my
printer and scanner. Sure I had the exact interface I wanted running
on software customized for my machine… but is there FOSS Japanese OCR
software? How come *E*R* couldn't set up a printer?… (Perhaps
printer/scanner stuff has improved in the meantime… it doesn't change
the underlying argument that FOSS doesn't always easily support the
things you want it to or function as advertised either).
> All this makes for a lot of time and money wasted, and whatever the
> angle you choose to think about those problems, none show a lot of
> professionalism on the maker's side. So maybe Gruber's conclusion
> should rather be that only a very few programs are really worth the
> money you spend on them...
I would agree with that. Some software is worth money. Some isn't.
Buyer beware. ^_^
> So, besides for a few utility programs, I have found little value in
> non-free software. …
Do you use OS X? Most of the parts that are good about it are not open. ^_^
> And everything I was supposed to do with such
> software could also be done in free software (with a few exceptions
> that did not make the proprietary solution worth much more).
I suppose it really comes down to value being in the eye of the
beholder. All of my recent software purchases have made me more
productive, and in many cases made or saved me money. I understand it
is possible to get screwed, but careful purchases from reputable
vendors of software that comes with personal recommendations from
people you trust are a good start at reducing that possibility.
>> A summary sheet that integrates values from the various summary sheets
>> and tells me things like how much I've earned and how much clients owe
>> me and so on.
>
> I see. I don't, but I am thinking of having such a setting, but not in
> Excel, although I need to find a way to make that simple, networkable
> (to merge my wife's data) and practical. And a shared Excel file is
> not the image I have of my setting ;)
Google Docs might work well for you if you want free as in beer.
Another web 2.0 solution I can highly recommend is DabbleDB. I don't
know of an "open" solution to the problem of a shared spreadsheet. You
could share an ods file around, but that isn't very different
fundamentally from the Excel solution.
> …even though a
> mouse can be useful sometimes, it is not the best choice most of the
> time. But I am really not trying to convince you :) …
And I would say that the visual interface that empowers the mouse
allows simpler to use, more aesthetically pleasing interfaces that
make it easier to discover and apply a wider variety of functionality
than typical text based, keyboard driven interfaces. But I understand
how you feel the keyboard makes you *feel* more efficient and that
anything I say will likely not change that.
By the way, I actually prefer a trackball. Less wrist/arm action and I
can use it in my lap when I lean away from the desk. ^_^
Chris Moore