Statefulness = "Processness"...?

[Shawn Pearce]

Vlad Dumitrescu <vlad_dumitrescu@REDACTED> wrote:
> 
> Jay wrote:
> > I agree that you don't want unexpected things to happen
> > while the user is concentrating, but simple suggestions
> > are very useful (think dialtone, busy signals, TV static on
> > non-existent channels, etc.).
> 
> yes, of course, but these active fields are not the textboxes where the user
> is expected to type. They are only visual effects.
> 
> If I am supposed to enter a file path and something interferes with it,
> changing it every half second, it will be very frustrating! :-)


I think an example of a text box changing as you type is the popup
list of websites you have recently visited in Mozilla or IE which
match what you have typed thus far, or the programs you have run
recently from the Windows 'Run' dialog.  That list changes every time
another key is entered and matched against the list of what is known.

Perhaps doing that matching takes some time, as it causes the webserver
to be scanned using WebDAV or some such event to help you complete the
path.  Thus it may be updating in the background as another thread,
changing the contents of the combo box's list, but leaving the text field
alone.

-- 
Shawn.

  Living your life is a task so difficult, it has never been attempted before.