Re: Simple Lua for scripts

[Robert Raschke <rrlua@...>]

Alain (referencing Rici) wrote
> You sai in another message: "Trust your users. That may be hard, but 
> it's worth it in the long run." Well I don't trust them, it is sad but 
> it is a fact of life: users are dangerous, agressive creatures.

This reminds me of a quote I like to wheel out once in a while.  In my
opinion, Lua allows you to do the right thing(TM).


<blockquote>
Pretty graphical interfaces are commonly called "user-friendly." But
they are not really your friends.  Underlying every user-friendly
interface is a terrific human contempt.

The basic idea of a graphical interface is that it does not allow
anything alarming to happen.  You can pound on the mouse button all
you want, and the system will prevent you from doing anything stupid
...

To build such a crash-proof system, the designer must be able to
imagine - and disallow - the dumbest action.  He or she cannot simply
rely on the user's intelligence: who knows who will be on the other
side of the program?  Besides, the user's intelligence is not ...
programmable; it cannot protect the system.  No, the real task is to
forget about the intelligent person on the other side and think of
every single stupid thing anyone might possibly do.

In the designer's mind, gradually, over months and years, there is
created a vision of the user as imbecile.  The imbecile vision is
mandatory.  No good, crash-proof system can be built except it be
done for an idiot ...

The prettier the user interface, and the fewer odd replies the system
allows you to make, the dumber you once appeared in the mind of the
designer.
</blockquote>

-- Ellen Ullman, "Out of Time:  Reflections on the
Programming Life," in Brook and Boal, _Resisting the
Virtual Life_.  San Francisco,  City Lights, 1995.


Robby