Why changing the UI doesn't matter.

Since the SL user population is increasing at a dramatic rate, there will soon be more new users who never used the old system than there are old users disturbed by changes.

So I wouldn't get my hopes up with regard to always having an option to keep things the way they were.

The fact that the user interface is objectively worse and less flexible doesn't matter?

Changes are not bad in and of themselves, and there have been improvements among all the rest (for example, having an empty chat bar accept arrow keys for moving the av whether you normally use arrow keys for movement or editing). Rolling back the changes that *don't* work well remains worthwhile regardless of whether people are "used to" or "not used to" the changes.

You did not understand the post.

I think everyone understood your post. Perhaps you fail to understand the fact that an upgrade is supposed to bring features to the table. Not the reverse.

If linden labs wants to degrade the users experience of SL by implementing an insane keyboard layout, those new users you are referring to will be as impressed as the current users are.

Think ergonomically. If it's hard to use, no one will use it.

So how many people do you envisage moving the keyboard all the way over to the left of the desk to take "advantage" of this "feature".

That's right.

Furthermore, with SL having an established userbase in the hundreds of thousands, how many of those users do you think will be encouraging friends to take up using a system that is hard to use?

Correct again.

Ergonomically speaking, in a hybrid wimps system with both keyboard short cuts and pull down menus, the pull down menu should not take precedence over a keyboard control because it is counter productive to increase the time needed to perform an action.

I.E. while using a mouse to manipulate an in world object, it is counter productive to have to use the mouse to perform pull down menu functions.

What we have here is a key combination that wrests mouse focus to a menu. This should follow well with ergonomics, and in the huddle that is middle management, probably sounded good in theory.

In practice however it requires that the user gives up functionality that is useful, for functionality that is rarely used.

How many times have you wished you could open the menu with a key combination so that you could select an item with your mouse?

Correct again.

To sum up, while your theory that new users joining SL will never know the difference and therefore will never make noise about this change may be correct, in reality this change is completely non-functional, and will be reversed in my opinion for the reasons laid out above.

Of course I could be wrong.

A less than impressed

Nubee~

I see no evidence to suggest that everyone read my post. I strongly suspect that my post has gone unread by nearly everyone in existence, minus two dozen or so.

You didn't understand the post either.

well keeping with the title of this i feel theres alot that can be done with the UI, moderen options that are used frequently are buried, old options that scarecly get used are right in front of you, the pie menu could be better, high rez graphic glitches (1.13 blackscreen anyone?) small window resizing issues (still), focus issues, ect ect

but NOW would be a great time to do some major overhauls, the fresh user population outweighs the ol chotchety "i dont want change" users IMO

If that is the extent of your comment, I understand you perfectly. Thank you for your most enlightening contribution.

I'm sure the entire population of SL is waiting for your next epiphany.

I understand the post. You're saying that what we're saying doesn't matter to LL, because before long most users will be used to the current setup, right?

I'm saying that:

* Some of the changes are "a matter of what you're used to".
* Some of the changes are objectively better, they add flexibility.
* Some are worse, they reduce flexibility.
* Linden Labs *does* sometimes listen and back out changes.
* Don't get your hopes up, but don't give up either.

I think the new UI is great. I like the tabbing functions, I like the new look and feel, I like everything about it except one small thing. The removal of the Alt-WASDEC functionality. I realize that it's important to do in order to bring a better look and feel to the UI, but I would just like a very simple option, even if it's in the Debug Options list and not in the main preferences UI, to disable the Alt shortcut keys for the menus and revert their functionality to being like arrow keys.

The alternative for me is to go out and get a side gaming keyboard I can reprogram myself, which granted is not a bad idea, but I'd rather not have to do that. I refuse to use the arrow keys, though.

It is very hard for me to believe that two million people are waiting to read my post.

Are you familiar with the forums at secondcitizen.com?

Glad to see some things never change.

On the contrary, it's been a very long time since I've recommended the secondcitizen forum to someone, and it's unlikely I'll do it again for a long time. His posts seems rude, hostile and combative to me; a style of posting that is in considerable supply and demand at secondcitizen, so perhaps he might enjoy reading and engaging in verbal jousting at a site where such behavior is enjoyed rather than prohibited.

As a (mostly) disinterested third party, I read your post, three times, before, during, and after reading the replies to it. If the language you used is English, and the words are not some strange dialect or colloquialisms that very few people know, then I think that the respondents both read and understood your post perfectly.

Further, posting something fairly trite, having good, lengthy responses posted as rebuttals to it, then coming back and attacking (yes, that's what it amounts to; you're deprecating the respondents' ability to read and comprehend your writing) the other posters without really further the communication is kinda, well, useless.

Communication is a two-way street. If you think someone missed the point of your post, try clarifying it instead of falling back on ad hominem to get your point across.

Have a nice day!

You set yourself up for "verbal jousting" with your original posting. Did you expect your statement would be hung to the rafters in glorious cheer? Obviously, everyone has their own opinion and you should have expected disagreement.

I am siding with the others on this. If the ergonomics are bad, then the new layout will not be better...no matter how you slice it.

I would love for you to explain your point again. I feel that I am missing some extraordinary insight by apparently not understanding your post either.

Well... whether changing the UI matters or not, some of you would at least like to have the option of going back to the old camera controls.

Vote if you care. Don't vote if you don't care.

http://secondlife.com/vote/vote.php?get_id=2517

I just started playing a month ago. This game was hard enough to adjust to compared to the fluent movement of most 3D games. I found similarities and was able to ease in thanks to these qualities, such as the ease of WASD keys and alt camera controls. The ability to 'alt select' my file menus is pointless. If they are trying to change their target audience to people more familiar with word processing/programmers, it's frankly the wrong approach.

Basically, I'm telling you from a new player perspective and not a chotchety "I don't want to change" user, the new UI changes they've made are horrible instead of being an improvement. An improvement is something like, giving interface customization. THAT would be an improvement.