[Xena-devel] RE: Xena functionality and interface

[Stephen E. <ste...@na...>]

I thought that this is what would be covered by the Preservation Process
Model - ie., more detailed procedural instructions about how to process a
given body of material using xena as part of that process.  I don't think
any piece of software is wholly intuitive - we forget how much implicit and
explicit training was needed to get everyone to write minutes using a
word-processor.  On another dimension - I'll bet a 10-year old kid wouldn't
worry about it - they would just fiddle around and get it to do what they
wanted.  Not that that helps much ...  I think we need to get more specific
details about any problems with the interface before trying to fix general
problems like "I didn't know what to do..."
Stephen Ellis.

-----Original Message-----
From: Simon Davis [mailto:si...@na...]
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2004 5:48 PM
To: 'xen...@li...'
Cc: 'at...@na...'
Subject: Xena functionality and interface


I don't think there is an ease-of-use problem with the Xena interface. After
all, you go:
- File > Normalise to normalise a filesystem object
- File > Normalise Non-File to normalise from a database or the web
- File > Open to view a package
- File > Batch Process to open the batch process wizard 
It's pretty mnimalist, but then thats a good thing, no? (OK, you could
better combine the Normalise commands, and 'Non-File' is pretty inelegant).
(Exercise for reader: do the Xena developers protest too much over Xena's
interface?)

There seems to me, however, to be an emerging issue over the perception of
how much Xena can legitimately do in a preservation treatment. It was never
the intention that normalising with Xena would be a totally automated
activity with no user input. There are simply too many variables to be
considered when normalising for any application to simply know what is the
best normaliser for every file format in every situation.

For example: I have a file with a suffix of 'dat' that consists of plain old
text in a sequence of lines. Included in that text are commas. Should such a
file be normalised into a plaintext or a dataset? It depends, and I doubt
any application could ever get that decision right all of the time.

Instead of making normalisation hands-off, the focus has been on providing a
structured approach to user input through a wizard interface. It is
possible, of course, for Xena to be used with very little manual
intervention if someone uses a saved normalisation configuration file. This
will only be of use, however, when the nature of the source material is well
known and someone has bothered to set up the configuration file first.

Does anyone have any ideas on how we can improve this situation?

Simon

> -----Original Message-----
> From: xen...@li...
> [mailto:xen...@li...]On Behalf Of Chris B.
> Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2004 10:15 AM
> To: xen...@li...
> Subject: TRIM:Re: [Xena-devel] Xena dataset - Simon
> 
> 
> Joanna Baker wrote:
> 
> >might it also be that it is what we have come to expect of 
> our software
> >tools, household whitegoods and cars?
> >  
> >
> 
> The question is, do you expect your car to turn the steering 
> wheel and 
> activate the brakes for you? Xena was designed to allow for certain 
> types of user input to affect the normalisation process. So far, and 
> certainly it is early days yet... people only want to press 
> the button 
> and hope for the best.
> 
> 
> >Hell - I only used Xena properly last week and I had no idea 
> what I should
> >be doing to get it to work. I assumed it would be easier 
> than it was for
> >this very reason.
> >  
> >
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: xen...@li...
> >[mailto:xen...@li...]On Behalf Of Andrew
> >Wilson
> >Sent: Tuesday, 30 March 2004 8:46 AM
> >To: 'xen...@li...'
> >Subject: RE: [Xena-devel] Xena dataset - Simon
> >
> >
> >I agree that there is this perception, and I also agree that 
> it isn't right.
> >I don't know why it has formed except that maybe people 
> *want* a magic
> >solution becuase they thnk the issues are very difficult to 
> deal with and a
> >magic button that did everything would mean less effort for 
> them? I really
> >don't know, but I don't think decisions about Xena 
> directions should be
> >determined by external perceptions of current/desired functionality.
> >They certainly won't be while I have any say in the matter :)
> >
> >Andrew
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: xen...@li...
> >[mailto:xen...@li...]On Behalf Of 
> Simon Davis
> >Sent: Monday, 29 March 2004 6:11 PM
> >To: 'xen...@li...'
> >Subject: RE: [Xena-devel] Xena dataset - Simon
> >
> ><SNIP>
> >
> >  
> >
> >>Trouble is, 
> >>every time somebody uses Xena they seem to think they should 
> >>be able to 
> >>just push a button and it should be magic. I think that's 
> >>wrong, but I 
> >>just write the program, I don't make the policy.
> >>
> >>    
> >>
> >
> >You are right, it is wrong. Xena nots meant to be magic. 
> Andrew, you're
> >closer to the action: do you know why people are thinking like this?
> >
> >
> >Simon
> >
> >
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