[Scribus] User-interface design

[Cedric Sagne]

I hardly ever need to insert Unicode (thanks for the F12 tip), but I 
agree with the point that it seems Ctrl-Shift-u has been adopted widely 
and that following the crowd makes sense sometimes.

Versatility in the user interface (customised shortcuts) is step 1, the 
possibility to use another applications' menus (refer to the nearly 
defunct Lotus word processor which mimicked the MS Word interface before 
teaching you the Lotus corresponding menu) is step 2.
One of the reasons why OO is so successful against MS Word is because it 
mimicks the MS GUI so much. OO is spreading like wildfire, especially 
with legal fight against piracy getting tougher.
In that respect, just like Macintosh's ultimate victory was to be 
imitated, MS Word or InDesign are successful (nearly in Darwinian terms) 
and therefore their GUIs may deserve to be de facto standards .

I am an infrequent InDesign user (license cost issue) and therefore 
InDesign is still unknown, and my habits are on Scribus, but I have to 
admit Adobe's GUI choices are often more efficient than Scribus' ... 
taking into account that I am a perpetual newcomer on InDesign.

I agree every software is free to have an original interface, just like 
you are free to wear the clothes you want. But I do understand cloning 
can be good, and being part of the crowd has advantages.
Sometimes "Imitate, don't innovate" is a more sensible choice than the 
other way round.

 > There is also the very handy F12, followed by 4-digit Unicode to insert
 > whatever character you might use frequently yet not be present on your
 > keyboard.


Cedric