[maemo-developers] Launch image to increase feeling of responsiveness (a la iPhone)

[From: Kalle Vahlman]

2008/3/10, Michael Wiktowy <michael.wiktowy at gmail.com>:
> On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 3:55 AM, Kalle Vahlman <kalle.vahlman at gmail.com> wrote:
>  > 2008/3/9, Michael Wiktowy <michael.wiktowy at gmail.com>:
>  >
>  > > It is an interesting idea but I can see how some might be ambivalent
>  >  >  to Apple's implementation. Spending more resources (storage space for
>  >  >  bogus images, non-zero CPU time and battery life) and *actually*
>  >  >  slowing application launch just to give the *perception* of speed may
>  >  >  not be the correct direction to head.
>  >
>  >  Storage space, CPU time and battery life sound a bit artificial
>  >  arguments here. I doubt that showing an extra image on startup would
>  >  cut your battery life in any noticeable way.
>
>
> Those arguments may be weak (and that is why I use the terminology of
>  "non-zero" as opposed to "substantial") but they are not artificial.

You can also claim that it runs down the hw by utilizing it more and
thus shortens the lifespan of it. It wouldn't matter either (to me).

> I
>  am not arguing against the basic concept of showing things to users
>  early. That is a very good thing to do. I am arguing against adopting
>  the same marketing-centric solution that Apple uses.

Heh, well if you don't care about marketing your
product/program/platform to its users, you definitely shouldn't follow
Apple.

To be clear, I'm not an Apple fanboy. I do not like their restrictive
way of doing things. But I do acknowledge their expertise in the HCI
field, and I think I understand how they manage to produce the
compelling products that make people shell out whatever money Apple
feels like asking for them.

They get away with the "empty application" scheme simply because they
control every aspect of the application theme and (I suppose) there is
no way of changing it...

> In showing an
>  fake image of the UI, you are impacting performance *at best* by zero
>  and at worst by some measurable amount.

_Actual_ performance. _Perceived_ performance will be improved, which
is what matters to anyone not thinking how the poor CPU is doing hard
work. What cannot be seen by users, does not exist to the users.

> I would prefer an engineering-centric solution to
>  achieving the same result while impacting performance *at worst* by
>  zero.

I suppose many of the open source projects around do just that. They
construct beautifully engineered but unimaginably crappy UI's.

If it was so easy to cut startup time to <3s, people probably would
have done it already. Since it hasn't happened, setting up smoke and
mirrors to entertain the user while loading would make *users* happier
(note: not the people who watch the CPU meter or even know what the
heck CPU is).

-- 
Kalle Vahlman, zuh at iki.fi
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