Marcin WicharyJan 23

I’ve been working on this for a while, but let’s make it official: I started a little Tumblr-like microblog about software craft and quality!

You can sign up via RSS or a weekly newsletter digest. There’s already almost two months of content in there, if you just want to check it out.

Hope you like it!

https://unsung.aresluna.org/

Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Show threadMarcin WicharyJan 26

I will occasionally link to a post from the blog that I feel really good about, if you don’t mind!

From this morning, a review of the documentary Koolhaas Houselife, ostensibly having nothing to do with UX design:

https://unsung.aresluna.org/movie-review-koolhaas-houselife/

Unsung

A microblog about software craft and quality

Show threadMarcin WicharyFeb 2

A post about the pretty inspiring and strange software that is Strudel, sort of a command line/text editor for music. I want my CSS authoring to feel this way.

https://unsung.aresluna.org/we-can-go-deeper-by-patterning-inside-of-our-pattern/

“We can go deeper by patterning inside of our pattern” – Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Show threadMarcin WicharyFeb 5

An appreciation of one tool that does screenshotting in a really interesting way, plus the history of how ⌘⇧3 and ⌘⇧4 ended up where they are.

https://unsung.aresluna.org/how-to-shoot-a-screen-using-a-board-of-keys/

How to shoot a screen using a board of keys – Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Show threadMarcin WicharyFeb 10

I learned about this cool exhibit at ACMI in Melbourne today, and immediately had to write about it.

It simulates working at a help line for a videogame company in 1993, complete with fictitious games, and a physical 300-page binder of various documents. Amazing.

https://unsung.aresluna.org/this-sounds-completely-impractical-and-we-love-it/

“This sounds completely impractical and we love it.” – Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Show threadMarcin WicharyFeb 12

I wrote a little bit about molly guards, or UI that protects you from other UI!†

I’m very curious if you have other examples I missed.

(† Not related to the street drug.)

https://unsung.aresluna.org/molly-guard-in-reverse/

Molly guard in reverse – Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Show threadMarcin WicharyFeb 16
In which I celebrate the craft of Flickr’s original, amazing URL scheme: https://unsung.aresluna.org/unsung-heroes-flickrs-urls-scheme/
Unsung heroes: Flickr’s URLs scheme – Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Show threadMarcin WicharyFeb 21
I don’t know if this is spicy (I honestly don’t even know what “spicy” means anymore on the internet), but wrote what I learned about making a bug process work for more people than just engineers: https://unsung.aresluna.org/how-to-make-sure-a-designer-never-files-a-bug-again/
How to make sure a designer never files a bug again – Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Show threadMarcin Wichary
For my 150th (!) post, a look back at Apple’s breathing lights: https://unsung.aresluna.org/just-a-little-detail-that-wouldnt-sell-anything/
“Just a little detail that wouldn’t sell anything” – Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Feb 24 at 3:28amWeb
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 2
A little post about Beagle Bros, perhaps the most fun 1980s software company. https://unsung.aresluna.org/our-programs-are-fun-to-use/
“Our programs are fun to use.” – Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12

Had fun listing all of these interfaces that are aware of the hardware’s dimensions or buttons or other physical properties, so they can do fun things with pointing to stuff.

Please send me more if you can think of them!

https://unsung.aresluna.org/software-proprioception/

Software proprioception – Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Show threadJohn GruberMar 12
@mwichary Volume indicator on iOS that is aligned with the hardware volume buttons.
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12

@gruber Thanks! This one is really nicely done mechanically, too.

(I just wish the slider itself wasn’t interactive on screen. I keep touching it by accident when putting the phone back in my pocket.)

Show threadpetes_bread_eqn_xlsMar 12
@gruber @mwichary I can’t believe I didn’t realize why it appears there 🤦‍♂️
Show threadMichael PorterMar 12
@mwichary Somewhat related, the ports on my MacBook are (mostly) aligned with the keycaps, so you don't need to look when you plug something in (power, two of the usb ports, HDMI). The second usb port on the left side isn’t, unfortunately - I guess the designers traded ease of use with space-saving.
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12
@MichaelPorter I think it also would’ve looked bad from the side since the port widths are uneven.
Show threadMichael PorterMar 12
@mwichary So you're thinking they went for consistent spacing between the ports? Looks like it. But when I’m using my computer I don't even see the sides of it. I do, on the other hand, often miss when I'm trying to plug something in to a port that isn't aligned. Those times, I wish they went for functionality over form.
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12
@MichaelPorter Oh yeah, I’m 100% sure that’s what they did. If you survey Apple hardware, port spacing and gestalt are almost always immaculate.
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12

@MichaelPorter I wish there was some way to indicate the ports from above, but that probably clashes with Apple’s minimalistic/stark approach.

A company like Nothing could probably have fun here.

Show threadMichael PorterMar 12
@mwichary I'm thinking they have to make their phones a little smaller 😄
Show threadNiki TonskyMar 12
@mwichary Preview opens A4 PDFs at physical sizes
Show threadPaweł GrzybekMar 12
@nikitonsky @mwichary wowwoowow this is cool ! I didn’t know about it.
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12
@pawelgrzybek @nikitonsky Ugh, that’s such a better example than my Simulator example.
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12
@pawelgrzybek @nikitonsky It even has all these options I never saw before.
Show threadNiki TonskyMar 12
@mwichary @pawelgrzybek me neither! I can set it to always open in Single Page, finally!
Show threadDavid FriedmanMar 12
@mwichary Screens at gas stations point you to the hardware buttons you need to push
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12
@ironicsans Oh yeah, I have that in the post! Except it’s ATMs haha
Show threadDavid FriedmanMar 12
@mwichary I confess that's what made me think of the gas stations! :)
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12
@ironicsans Ah! Good point. To me they’re the same because of the UI similarities, but maybe that’s just how my brain works haha.
Show threadMagnus AhltorpMar 13
@mwichary @ironicsans So softbuttons count? I would definitely not include those in ”fun things”. They are almost always a necessary evil because of less than stellar design.
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 13
@ahltorp @ironicsans Check out the blog post!
Show threadMagnus AhltorpMar 13
@mwichary I will as soon as I get to a computer, it bugged out on my phone several times.
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 13
@ahltorp What’s your phone/browser? 🙏
Show threadshorkMar 12
@mwichary idk if it's in AOSP or just on Pixels but the phone screen lights up from the source of the unlock, if you touch the screen (or the fingerprint sensor) it's a circular wave from that location, if you lift the phone it originates from the bottom of the screen etc. It even supported the back fingerprint sensor on older devices back when they did the Material You redesign
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12
@noiob Thanks, although that all feels relatively generic maybe? That doesn’t feel like the software needs to know about hardware for any of this – but lmk if I’m misunderstanding it.
Show threadshorkMar 12
@mwichary well, it needs to know where the lock button is, or the back fingerprint reader back when that was a thing
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12
@noiob Ah, ok. I didn’t connect it to the lock button. Thanks!
Show threadAustinMar 12
@mwichary didn’t see you post a link to it, but I didn’t know command T did that in slack. I think of cmd T as the “font picker” shortcut. I use cmd K in slack for the same purpose that T does
Show threadManuMar 12
@mwichary my first thought was the Playdate. Im not near mine at the moment, but here’s an example image I found online
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 12
@manutastic Oh, yes! I also wonder if my SteamDeck is doing some interesting things.
Show threadLukasMar 13

@mwichary More of a negative one, but still fits the theme, I guess: Car infotainment systems not showing the correct color of the car they're installed in.

I've yet to find a car that gets this right ;(

Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 13
@karotte Thanks! I remember MKBHD or maybe Doug DeMuro praising one car for that, but I don’t remember which one it was.
Show threadJohn FaulkenburyMar 13
@mwichary @karotte BMW i4 gets it right.
Show threadmedium rare birdMar 13
@mwichary this is descriptive rather than indicative/spatial, but systemd's /etc/machine-info has a "CHASSIS" field that indicates what kind of form-factor a Linux machine has: https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/machine-info.html
machine-info

Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 13
@migratory Thanks!
Show threadTrammell HudsonMar 13
@mwichary James Moylan invented the "point to, don't describe" indicator for car's gas gauge https://www.jalopnik.com/2061179/inventor-little-arrow-what-side-fuel-filler-is-on-dies/
The Inventor Of The Little Arrow That Tells You What Side The Fuel Filler Is On Has Died

The idea came to Moylan on a rainy day in April 1986 when he hopped in one of Ford's employee fleet cars to drive to a meeting at another building.

Jalopnik
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 13
@th Thanks! We had fun with it the other day: https://unsung.aresluna.org/the-moylan-arrow-of-software/
The Moylan Arrow of software – Unsung

A blog about software craft and quality

Show threadyuubiMar 2
@mwichary the apple colors/ascii chart/peeks/pokes/pointers poster (double sided) was included with at least a couple of their disks. i don't remember seeing it for sale separately.
Show threadMarcin WicharyMar 2
@yuubi Thanks!
Show threadPete Prodoehl 🍕Mar 2
@mwichary I remember them fondly. Great stuff!
Show threadDan Morgan Mar 2
@mwichary @mako Ohhhh the feels! I loved the stickers and the newsletters. I never had the heart to actually use the stickers! So much exploration as a teen using their software. AppleWorks and MacroWorks were my first introduction to scripting after cutting my teeth with BASIC. A great primer to HyperCard/HyperTalk and then HTML.
Show threadMichael PorterFeb 24
@mwichary Ha, you've reminded me of an old MacBook I had when I was teaching that did that. The kids in the class noticed the “breathing” 😄
Show threadvga256Feb 24
@mwichary what a nicely written post. thank you. i always found the sleep light’s rhythm very cozy on my iBook/PB/iMac G5, but hadn’t realized the period was tuned to human breathing. just a wonderful detail. the apple I fell in love with of the 2000s.
Show threadScrewtapelloFeb 24
@vga256 I didn't realise it was tuned to human breathing specifically, but I definitely noticed it was more... organic than I expected a rounded titanium rectangle to be. Not quite David Cronenberg levels of techno-organic, but a *little* unsettling.
Show threadRobotMar 1
@Screwtapello @vga256 i once had a little nightmare that the macbook was alive and controlling the world (Now I see where my brain might have gotten the idea)
Show threadRobert Kist 🇦🇹🇸🇬Feb 24
@mwichary to me, this stuff DID sell it. The attention to detail is just what made those machines special and a joy to use. That's what "going the extra mile" looks like in product design
Show threadPierreNick  💾Feb 24
@mwichary What a nice post. I had actually totally forgotten about them. Especially the ones in the latch button of the PowerBooks. It really was so soothing.
Show threadStuart MarksFeb 24

@mwichary Interesting. I didn’t pick up on the “breathing” aspect but I recall that the slow pulsing was quite soothing. It was also useful and usable: it conveyed information if you looked at it, without attracting attention to itself.

By contrast, many things (like cursors) blink too fast for my taste, saying “Hurry up and type something!” Even a non-blinking red LED, like on a TV in a darkened hotel room, is too harsh. I carry a roll of gaffer tape in my travel kit for such situations.

Show threadKristofferabildFeb 24
@mwichary @tokeriis I still miss the breathing light and the outside battery indicator. So useful.
Show threadMattFeb 24
@Kristofferabild same. They conveyed important information.
Show threadKen McLeodFeb 24
@mwichary I always had to put tape over the light or it would be impossible to leave the PowerBook sleeping in the bedroom at night... the whole room would go from dark to lit up to dark again.
Show threadMarcin WicharyFeb 24
@_the_cloud Ha, I remember doing that in a hotel room once or twice. Or just placing an item in front of it.
Show threadNicolas BouilleaudFeb 24

@mwichary 20 years ago when I was a young software engineer at LaCie, I prototyped something similar for the SAFE hard drives (the ones that unlocked with a fingerprint sensor).

The led intensity wasn’t actually controllable, it was full on or off. To vary the perceived light, we had to send very quick pulses, varying the on/off ratio over time.

Unfortunately, as I was doing it in software from the host computer, this required a substantial amount of the USB bandwidth. We did not ship it 🙃

Show threadMarcin WicharyFeb 24
@_nb Respect!!!
Show threadTony FinchFeb 24

@mwichary i shared your post on lobsters https://lobste.rs/s/vi9msd/just_little_detail_wouldn_t_sell_anything and with weirdly mixed feelings i added a “retrocomputing” tag, since the breathing lights have been sadly gone for well over a decade

i still have in occasional use a 2008 aluminium macbook with the stealth LED, and it continues to be a really cool and subtle feature

“Just a little detail that wouldn’t sell anything”

10 comments

Lobsters
Show threadAlex GordienkoFeb 25
@mwichary those were the days
Show threadmatsuzineFeb 25
@mwichary I really miss that indicator. I don't really care about the "breathing" -- my HP z640 just blinks on suspend -- but my Mac mini is missing a useful indicator now.