[sword-devel] More Splashes

[David Trotz]

> "Why have a splash screen at all?!!!" Whenever I see a splash screen on a
> Apple Mac or a Windows PC I think --- bloated code. The screen is there to
> entertain me whilst things are initialised. But I'm NOT entertained rather
> I'm annoyed. Maybe the first time I see a splash screen I might enjoy the
> pretty picture but after the second time or the hundred and second time
> the screen merely irritates. Much initialisation is unnecessary at program
> start; it could be delayed to a later point in the execution cycle of the
> program. I'd rather that intitialisation time were spread throughout the
> execution life-cycle of the program. Why should I wait for a print class
> to initialise if as I start the program it is not my intention to pront
> anything out.

Trevor although you are entitled to your opinion, I think there is something
you might of forgotten, and that is the end user. Although most of us here
are more "advanced" and technical users of our computers and we know the
program is loading when we click on it and some believe that splash screens
are for sissies the truth is users like things like splash screens. It helps
them to see that something is happening while the program is loading. If
anything irks me it is the fact that developers forget the end user and make
programs unintuitive and very UGLY. If we write software for them we need to
cater it to them as well.

> I would rather that time spent creating splash screens was given over to
> optimising the code, particularly to delaying initialisation until such
> time as the functionality is requested.

If one person was working on everything I could see your point but it isn't
that way. The one who is making the splash screen is not skilled in C++ and
felt this was a very good way to become involved and contribute. So how is
development time being used up? Plus the coding time to add a splash screen
took me ten minutes.
I do want to welcome you to join us in our efforts and help "optimize" our
code so we can avoid that "code bloat" and make that splash screen only last
a split second, now that would be cool.

In Christ,
David Trotz