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In the case of this particular tool (once I found that what I was
seeing in my instance of Firefox was missing something others were
seeing and tried it in Safari), the value seems very minimal to me.
The actual tree being browsed is rather small and not really needing
such a fancy interface. More importantly the rescaling of text only
seems to affect the item you are currently inspecting rather than the
children of that item. If the children too were enlarged, it could be
a tool which made it easier to select the next level in a navigation.
As it is, you still have to track (frequently kinked) lines to find the
small-text children.<br>
<br>
Donald<br>
<br>
Donat Agosti wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:002b01c7f6a3$90799de0$825c010a@bern" type="cite">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">May be a
reason why few people use these
nice tools is, that you do not get a lot out of them. And this might
also
explain, why such highly unstructured initiatives like Wikipedia or
ecoport are
flourishing. They have content, and to some extent, individuals can add
more to
it, and thus feel to be part of the initative, and get used to know
where and
how they can find their stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Donat<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
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face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
<hr tabindex="-1" align="center" size="2" width="100%"></span></font></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; font-weight: bold;">From:</span></font></b><font
face="Tahoma" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:tdwg-bounces@lists.tdwg.org">tdwg-bounces@lists.tdwg.org</a> [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:tdwg-bounces@lists.tdwg.org">mailto:tdwg-bounces@lists.tdwg.org</a>] <b><span
style="font-weight: bold;">On Behalf Of </span></b>Roderic Page<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Friday,
September 14, 2007
8:45 AM<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> Rebecca Shapley<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cc:</span></b> Bob Morris;
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:tdwg@lists.tdwg.org">tdwg@lists.tdwg.org</a>; Denise Green; <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:bmishler@berkeley.edu">bmishler@berkeley.edu</a><br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [tdwg]
Interesting
example of tree navigation</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">Much as I think interfaces like this are way
kewl, I think it is
revealing that nobody has successfully applied this sort of approach to
browsing the large hierarchy that many of us interact with on a daily
basis -
the file system on our computer. Those efforts that have been made have
not
caught on (remember the flyby navigation in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Jurassic</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Park</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>?
- <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.slipups.com/items/2786.html">http://www.slipups.com/items/2786.html</a>
).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">In the same way, there have been a slew of
attempts to display search
engine results in forms other than Google's list of top hits, but none
have
caught on -- people know how to interpret lists, but often struggle
with
graphical displays of information, much to the chagrin of the people
who make
cool interfaces.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">Much as I think EoL might indeed make a
splash with something like
this, it will be empty unless it actually helps people find things
without
getting lost. In the same way, I thought the tree navigation shown in
the EoL
release video was perhaps the worst possible way of doing things,
ignoring
pretty much everything people have written about navigating in large
trees.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">Regards<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">Rod<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">On 14 Sep 2007, at 03:52, Rebecca Shapley
wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">My
guess - <br>
<br>
a) there aren't many information sets that are difficult enough to
present in
standard ways AND benefit from this type of presentation <br>
b) there haven't been enough of (a) with the
programmers/money/willingness to
try something novel <br>
c) some concern over limiting the audience for the info, because it
requires
Flash or some other plug-in. <i><span style="font-style: italic;">Potentially</span></i>
a high bar in terms of browser capability, internet connection, etc. Or
because
Flash isn't open-source. <br>
<br>
To get around (c), I'd take this implementation as a spec for the
desired
interaction behavior and see if it can be done in any other more
acceptable
technology, OR if it can be primarily Flash-based, but also degrade to
something acceptable for older browsers. <br>
<br>
No reason the EOL project can't make a splash with something as
exciting as
this.<br>
<br>
-R. <br>
<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="gmailquote"><font
face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On
9/13/07, <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Richard
Pyle</span></b> <<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:deepreef@bishopmuseum.org">
deepreef@bishopmuseum.org</a>> wrote:</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">> As Rod suggested, this is pretty old
news. <br>
<br>
This begs the question: has this style of user-interface failed to
catch on<br>
more widely because of:<br>
<br>
1) Technological limitations;<br>
2) Insufficient creativity and inspiration; or<br>
3) Insufficient usability? <br>
<br>
I'm tempted to eliminate #3 on the grounds that I don't think this
style of<br>
UI has been widespread enough to have been subjected to, and then
failed,<br>
some sort of usability meta-experiment.<br>
<br>
This is not to say that it won't ultimately fail such a meta-experiment
-- <br>
just that it hasn't really had a chance to fail it yet.<br>
<br>
Rich<br>
<br>
<br>
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</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">_______________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;">tdwg mailing list<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div><span
style="border-spacing: 0px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">----------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Professor
Roderic D.
M. Page<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Editor,
Systematic
Biology<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">DEEB,
IBLS<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on"><font
color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Graham</span></font></st1:PlaceName><font
color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Kerr</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Building</st1:PlaceType></span></font></st1:place><font
color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on"><font
color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">University</span></font></st1:PlaceType><font
color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"> of <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Glasgow</st1:PlaceName></span></font></st1:place><font
color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Glasgow</span></font></st1:place></st1:City><font
color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"> G12 8QP<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">United
Kingdom</span></font></st1:place></st1:country-region><font
color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Phone:
+44 141 330
4778<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Fax: +44
141 330 2792<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">email: <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:r.page@bio.gla.ac.uk">r.page@bio.gla.ac.uk</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">web: <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/rod/rod.html">http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/rod/rod.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">iChat: <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="aim://rodpage1962">aim://rodpage1962</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">reprints:
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/rod/pubs.html">http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/rod/pubs.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div style="min-height: 14px;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Subscribe
to
Systematic Biology through the Society of Systematic<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Biologists
Website: <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://systematicbiology.org">http://systematicbiology.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Search
for taxon
names: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://darwin.zoology.gla.ac.uk/%7Erpage/portal/">http://darwin.zoology.gla.ac.uk/~rpage/portal/</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Find out
what we know
about a species: <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://ispecies.org">http://ispecies.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Rod's
rants on
phyloinformatics: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://iphylo.blogspot.com">http://iphylo.blogspot.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;">Rod's
rants on ants: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://semant.blogspot.com">http://semant.blogspot.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Helvetica" size="1"><span
style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica; color: black;"><br>
<br>
</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span
style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<pre wrap="">
<hr size="4" width="90%">
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</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
------------------------------------------------------------
Donald Hobern (<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:dhobern@gbif.org">dhobern@gbif.org</a>)
Deputy Director for Informatics
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Secretariat
Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel: +45-35321483 Mobile: +45-28751483 Fax: +45-35321480
------------------------------------------------------------</pre>
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