Pavel A. SamsonovJan 4, 2024

Microsoft's Copilot button is a shining example of the form factor trap.

Who remembers when Siri came out and voice assistants were the future of computing? Samsung built a physical Bixby key into their phones (and went through massive pains to prevent users from disabling it). Microsoft had a dedicated Cortana button ship pinned to Windows 8's dock. Google Assistant was a default Android homescreen.

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https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/4/24023809/microsoft-copilot-key-keyboard-windows-laptops-pcs

#uxDesign #ProductManagement

Microsoft’s new Copilot key is the first big change to Windows keyboards in 30 years

Microsoft is bringing a Copilot key to new Windows-powered laptops and PCs. It’s the first big change to the Windows keyboard layout in nearly 30 years.

The Verge
Show threadPavel A. SamsonovJan 4, 2024

Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Samsung assured us they were building the future.

Nobody wanted the future they built. After a couple of years, Bixby, Cortana, and Assistant are gone from the spotlight. But not to worry - Microsoft has a new thing it wants to stick into your face! This time it's a physical keyboard button!

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Show threadJan DJan 4, 2024
@PavelASamsonov after having tried to set up gifted devices at christmas for my relatives, I came to realize that much open source software will by now have a better usability; not because of the expertly designed UIs but because there are less features+advertisement+banners thingies.
Show threadPavel A. SamsonovJan 4, 2024
@simulo I'm torn on this because on the one hand, yes, but on the other hand much OSS follows the design principles of "this is the way I like it" which often results in a very difficult UI for people whose mental model doesn't match the creator's
Show threadJan DJan 4, 2024
@PavelASamsonov totally agree. I am not praising the state of UX in open source software, it is just that all the "enshittification" of basic infrastructure (like operating systems) makes them difficult to use (except you opt in in all their data collection and services).
Show threadScott JensonJan 4, 2024

@simulo @PavelASamsonov #OpenSource software is 1 giant step forward for privacy and calm (no upselling/nudging) and 1 giant step backward for #UX

My hope is that the state of both will continue to improve.

Show threadFreelockJan 4, 2024

@scottjenson @simulo @PavelASamsonov For many open source projects, #UX is not at all a "giant step backward".

I'd say that #OpenSource generally prioritizes getting things working, functional, and tested before working on #UX, but many OSS projects have matured to the point where UX is a major focus -- and often better than commercial alternatives.

See current #Drupal, #NextCloud, #HomeAssistant, #ForgeJo, #BitWarden, #Mastodon, and dozens of other examples...

Show threadMoritzJan 4, 2024
@freelock @scottjenson @simulo @PavelASamsonov I agree with many of those, but Nextcloud definitely should not serve as a positive example for "good UX" in #FOSS software.
Show threadScott JensonJan 4, 2024
@preya @freelock @simulo @PavelASamsonov care to elaborate? (happy to have a DM if that's easier)
Show threadViktor NagornyyJan 4, 2024

@scottjenson @preya @freelock @simulo @PavelASamsonov I'd like to know, too 😃 @jancborchardt probably would also want to know.

I use Nextcloud everyday (work/personal), all the core apps. It's simple and functional. Can it be improved? Everything can be improved. But the only way it can be improved is if people report issues on Github, so the team is aware, can triage, and see if it's an actual problem or a niche need of one user. If skills permit, contribute fixes with PRs. It's open source.

Show threadMoritzJan 5, 2024
@viktor @scottjenson @freelock @simulo @PavelASamsonov @jancborchardt We're not talking about a "can be improved" situation. No one expects Nextcloud to be perfect and bug free. But the state of the project has degraded constantly over the last years. Reporting issues has become useless. There's thousands of open issues and no one is triaging them or answering to the community. Nextcloud GmbHs internal priorities and processes are completely intransparent to the community.
Show threadViktor Nagornyy
@preya @scottjenson @freelock @simulo @PavelASamsonov @jancborchardt There are over 15,000 closed issues on GitHub for the core server alone. If nobody was fixing anything, there wouldn't be that many closed issues. Maybe issues you care about are taking longer than you would like, but everything is prioritized and eventually gets fixed. Lots of work, limited resources. But serious bugs get fixed quickly. That's why there was a 28.0.1 release a few weeks after 28.0.0.
Jan 5, 2024 at 11:10amWeb
Show threadJan C. Borchardt 🦆Jan 5, 2024
@viktor @preya @scottjenson @freelock @simulo @PavelASamsonov regarding transparency: The planning boards of all of our teams are public at https://github.com/orgs/nextcloud/projects
Additionally we have Talk channels for contributors, you can find the one of the design team on https://nextcloud.com/design for example.
Not sure what is "completely intransparent" here?
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