Re: [xml-dev] Does WTSIWYG make simplicity moot? (was Re: [xml-dev] dtds, schemas, xhtml, and multimedia technologies)

["Rick Jelliffe" <ricko@allette.com.au>]

From: "Paul Prescod" <paul@prescod.net>

> Visualization tools are fine, but they should be visualizing the true 
> abstractions in the language you are "editing", not trying to hide them 
> from you with some thin, proprietary, quasi-abstraction layer.

Schneiderman's Direct Manipulation interface apparantly recommends

* continuous representation of the objects and actions of interest
* physical actions instead of complex syntax
* immediate and continuous feedback

I think there has been a general confusion that "physical actions
instead of complex syntax" somehow means "hiding the tags more" 
rather than "using the mouse more" (to put it a little simply.) 

Putting cost aside, one benefit of direct manipulation interfaces
is in presenting information in views that allow better physical 
manipulation. 

Cheers
Rick Jelliffe