I like the idea of having a single on/off switch, as long as there’s a visual indication of the system’s current status: I’d prefer a rocker switch or a slider to a button that turns the system on the first time you press it and off the next time. It’s true that a power light in or next to the power switch can communicate the system’s status, but I like a tactile indication of the system’s status, which would give me one more opportunity to think again before applying pressure and changing said status.

On the wider issue, I suppose that one of the traits of a good designer is knowing when you need to stop mollycoddling users by giving them what they think they want and show them a Better Way. Of course, this implies illuminating that particular path well enough that users don’t wander off and get lost, which isn’t always easy when 90% of people who use personal computers have only ever used various versions of Windows and a fair percentage of them get nervous when asked to use a word processor that isn’t Microsoft Word or a spreadsheet that isn’t Excel.

I can’t say how many people, over the years, I’ve heard complain, loudly, vociferously, and at tremendous length (as well as with I-am-absolutely-right certitude) about how illogical, and absolutely nonsensically so, they thought it was to make the place to find “turn on” labeled as “turn off.” I can’t say how many, but it’s been an awful lot of people. To quite a few people, in my experience, it seems the most illogical thing ever.

And, actually, I’ve never ever ever, until reading this piece, heard or read anyone arguing the reverse, though I’m certainly sure there are a fair number of such people.

So I’m a touch doubtful of the Absolute Certainty this guy displays in his own judgement that his personal preferences should rule.

(The other interface complaint I’ve heard hundreds of times, and sometimes from people literally screaming, they were so angry and emphatic, was the choice of Apple (for many years of OS, anyway; dunno about in recent years) to make the “place” that one put disks to simply eject them was the “trash.” If I had a penny for every first-time user I’ve seen nearly faint at the idea that someone was trashing (obviously an erasure, right?) their entire disk of so-many-hours of work, before it was explained to them that “trash” means “erase/destroy” — except here, for no apparent reason, beyond wanting to scare the shit out of people — it didn’t, I’d [fill in your favorite cliche].)

So while I, too, roll my eyes at having 8 choices as to ways of do things, I’m not entirely impressed by certitude that there’s One Best Way For Everyone (which just happens to be clear to a particular designer, but not to stupider people); this doesn’t reflect reality as I know it.