Subj : newspaper was: moving or To : Nancy Backus From : Barry Martin Date : Fri Jun 26 2020 15:53:00 Hi Nancy! NB>>>>> I think that Beginner Mode should be the default... one can always NB>>>>> move into Regular or Expert Mode later... BM>>>> Agree. Probably just two modes - Beginner as default and Regular. NB>>>> That would work... :) BM>>> Think we can get the manufacturers to do that? NB>>> Who knows... you'd think it might occur to them, but you never know... BM>> Never know! The (say) five-second timing may have been configured a BM>> couple of decades ago based on some now-unknown factor and just became BM>> a de facto standard. NB>> And it might have been totally arbitrary, yet still became de facto NB>> standard.... ;) BM> True, though I'm thinking maybe that programmer may have had a slight BM> mean streak: set to give enough time to glance through when you know BM> what you're looking for, not enough time when you don't. NB> Nah.... More likely, he figured he'd given more than enough NB> time... maybe even twice how long he'd needed... ;) Not a clue NB> what newbies would need... ;) And one of the problems with manuals and menus is the person/s creating them already know the answers! Like "of course the shut down the computer it's under 'Start'! BM>>>> They do have some TVs, etc., when first turned on (out of the box) an BM>>>> on-screen instruction comes up to show how where to connect the BM>>>> antenna, etc. NB>>>> That would be helpful... I wonder, if one moved, and had to set up NB>>>> things at the new place, would that come up again....? BM>>> Good question. Haven't moved, haven't had a long power outage or need BM>>> to unplug a TV for a long time; no one has mentioned it after they BM>>> moved. NB>>> Just a curiosity... not that I've needed it either... ;) BM>> Right -- to me seems almost odd: you don't know the antenna 'wire' BM>> goes in the 'Antenna' connection? May as well also add "righty-tighty BM>> lefty-loosey"! NB>> Some people would need the help... hard enough to figure out where NB>> the power key is on some things... ;) And sometimes things aren't NB>> marked clearly, either by word or by symbol... BM> "On/Off", "1,0", that symbol with the O with the hole at the top and BM> the line coming in from the top. Or as in the case with my monitor BM> none of the buttons are identified yet only one turns it on. NB> My point exactly... "On/off" is the only one that should be NB> obvious to anyone... and even that confuses some... ;) See my 'stop under start'?! BM>>>> Yes! I have had the opportunity for Expert Mode, tried, BM>>>> and switched back. Can be handy, but usually a nuisance when can't BM>>>> read the options when something isn't working as expected 'cause hit BM>>>> the wrong options and got sent into an unfamiliar menu. NB>>>> That's when one hopes for some master spell that works on any menu NB>>>> to return to the main menu... or at least remember how to switch NB>>>> back out of Expert (which also hopefully works on all menus)... ;) BM>>> The magical Return or Exit key! ...Hopefully "Exit" as a smaller word BM>>> so they can print it larger, plus 'return' implies 'to go back' but BM>>> back to where?! NB>>> It might have been e[X]pert.... ;) BM>> That could be a problem!! NB>> Wouldn't be a problem if hot keys were enabled (or standard) and NB>> all you had to do was type 'x' to toggle the expert mode... :) BM> IIRC BBS menus to just have the user type 'x' to enter expert mode; BM> the trick is to get out! NB> I think it was a toggle (worked either direction) on the one bbs NB> I was thinking about... but it could well be different from one NB> software to another.... IMO ideally would be a toggle: the user could simply hit the same key to undo the action. ...So if you even come across "BarryMail" or BarryReader" you'll know exactly what to do! (Send a nastygram 'cause that's the only part that works right!!!) BM>>> Quite possibly -- maybe he was out looking for breakfast. Just BM>>> checked: both parents off running errands; the two eaglets are behaving BM>>> themselves in the nest. NB>>> Life goes on as normal, at least in the nest... BM>> And the eaglets have grown! ...Was kind of funny: had checked in on BM>> them the other day; storm was approaching. The two eaglets were BM>> alone, standing together facing 'left' and sort of had the look like BM>> they were saying "Mom?! Dad?! Where are you?" NB>> They'll be flying off on their own soon... BM> Soon! Just checked and one was looking around contemplating what to BM> do with his (or maybe it was the her) life. NB> Totally unaffected by a world in crisis over a pandemic... Which is a nice distraction for the rest of us! LIS I'm not paranoid but concerned. Oh, reminds me: half-heard on the news New York, New Jersey and California were considering a quarantine period for visitors to the states? I'm not in disagreement as it would help to reduce spreading of the coronavirus, just seeing how it could be enforced. EU yes: each country is sort of like a U.S. state but independent so can make their own regulations. U.S. states are independent but united; no boarder stations. (Sloppy phrasings.) NB>>>>> ... "Put knot yore trussed in spell chequers." BM>>>> I was reading a joke where they used a spell check utility to look for BM>>>> possible sequencing errors in DNA genomes. NB>>>> That would be a joke..... BM>>> Does tend to make sense though! :) NB>>> Only if programmed properly... and if it works better than the NB>>> average spell checkers.... ;) BM>> True! I don't recall what the genetic letter sequences are but BM>> probably easy enough for a human to overlook an error whereas a spell BM>> checker would pick up a spelling/letter sequence error. NB>> They use only four letters (A,T,G,C), and combine them in various ways NB>> in four letter 'words'.... nothing that resembles a real word... and NB>> then those 'words' are combined into different sequences.... One NB>> could have a comparison program to look at strings and compare to what NB>> they should be, I suppose, but that's not really a spell checker... ;) BM> Agree not really words but a sequence of letters, the same as a BM> specific sequence of letters makes up a word. I would suppose the BM> spell checker would check for the sequencing, the same as it does for a BM> written word. NB> As I understand it, though, it's a lot more complicated than NB> sequencing words... would require maybe as much programming work NB> as it would be to just look at the sequencing oneself... Quite probably. Maybe run through the spell checker for a quick check, though I can see holes in that too: "but it wasn't supposed to be that sequence in that position." ¯ ® ¯ Barry_Martin_3@ ® ¯ @Q.COM ® ¯ ® .... 365.25 days drinking low-calorie beer because less filling: 1 lite year --- MultiMail/Win32 v0.47 þ wcECHO 4.2 ÷ ILink: The Safe BBS þ Bettendorf, IA --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .