When Microsoft bought Visio, they FUCKED IT UP ROYALLY.

[crispini]

Honestly, what Microsoft did to Visio is a classic example of a piss-poor user interface!!! The damn thing has so many bells and whistles on it, it's practically impossible to use. It just does TOO DAMN MUCH, it's insanely complicated, and it's a freakin memory HOG to boot.

Microsoft, Microsoft, how I hate thee, you have taken a wonderful product that was simple and a joy to use and you just totally fucked it up bigtime because you don't know JACK SHIT about creating a good, easy-to-use user interface design! Redmond is just fulla geeks who don't know crap about making things for non-computer experts, and you know, you just SHOULD NOT let people like that drive the basic interface design for your product! :mad: I mean, I love my geeks as much as the next girl but jumpin jiminy, they overthink everything they do WILDLY and unless you reign 'em in, they'll go off and put EVERY SINGLE FEATURE they can think of in the frigging product (BAD IDEA!) and wildly overload it and then it's IMPOSSIBLE to find anything you want!!!

</rant>

Ok, carry on by all means, I just had to get that off my chest.

[GOPisEvil]

1. I prescribe an evening with the Old 97's!

You'll forget all about the morans in Redmond.

But, yeah, you're right. I taught myself Visio in the old days. I doubt I could do that now.

[crispini]

4. Eeeee! Friday!

I am SO looking forward to this! Hey, I'll PM you my cell so we can find each other. We already have a carful going from our B&B. Here's hoping nobody wants to leave too terribly early. :P

[GOPisEvil]

6. Sounds good!

I think one more person is going that I'm aware of. I'll have to figure out a way to meet up with her somehow.

Remember, it's my birthday! I expect free drinks! :D

[kedrys]

2. I feel your pain

I have a set of wireframes due tomorrow for a custom application we're building for a client, and the mere thought of having to fire up Visio has led me to stall for over a week.

Guess what I'll be doing all night tonight. Ick. :scared:

[crispini]

7. Hoboy, wireframes.

Good luck!

You'd think that SOMEBODY would have whipped up an easy to use, low cost, .vsd compatible alternate, but last time I looked, it just wasn't out there.

[Spinzonner]

3. It's what they do

Design by committee.

Rather inevitable in such big, bloated companies.

Which is why they find REAL innovation so difficult.

[crispini]

5. I don't really mind design by committee, just as long

as you have user interface designers who are holy terrors, ready to rant and rave and take on your product managers and customers. It's amazing how much crap you can keep out of your product with a little yelling. :P

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. And this surprises you?

[crispini]

9. No, of course not, I just needed to bitch.

Everything they touch turns to shit. :grr:

[Omphaloskepsis]

10. Microsoft makes great software.

http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnigraffle/pro/

someone had to do it.

[crispini]

11. Grrrr.

Looks cool. Too bad I CAN'T USE IT. :grr: :7

[Omphaloskepsis]

13. Omni makes great software.

It is kinda shocking that a Windows developer doesn't make something similar.

[MazeRat7]

12. I must recuse myself from this discussion....

As a "software engineer" I have absolutly nothing positive to say about Microsoft.

Carry on.

MZr7

[GAspnes]

14. Agreed.

And they killed the better products (Micrografx Designer, Corel Draw!) with that piece of excrement.

Now it's supposed to be a half fast UML designer tool in Visual Studio 2005. It's not. Enterprise Architect is a gazillion times better.

Don't get me started. Wait. Too late.