Sane defaults with alternatives as a general case need [ was Re: Fedora Core 2 wishlists ]

[Jef Spaleta]

Bill Nottingham wrote:

>Basically, in my opinion, spending a lot of time implementing an
>infrastructure to support choosing between 6 web browsers is better
>spent *fixing* one of the web browsers to support all of the
>features you need.

This assumes that all possible usage needs can be encompassed
in the one true application that fills a certain role. Aren't some
design/usage goals just completely contradictory in some cases.
Even if you can come to a clear consensus as to what a 'needed' feature
is in the never-ending sea of desired features. Can you encompass all
expected usage situations into every application?

I don't know how far the argument about 'the general case' holds when we
replace the concept of sane defaults for the general case and replace it
with an argument for a single choice that meets a general case need
across all application roles. In my mind, the general case argument is
best stated as:
"In general...most people's needs will be satisfied reasonable by most
of the chosen sane defaults, and individuals will most likely in general
need to make a few custom application selections to override the default
for their particular individual needs."

I personally see the need for some sanely default uncomplicated
mechanism to override default application choices in the general case
usage situation. I don't expect more than exactly 3 people in the
userbase to find that all the default applications meet all their usage
needs reasonably well. I expect most people will feel they need to make
at least one customized choice, as a general rule.

-jef