Radu Luchian(ov): Pastime: Commentary
Quickie on MonDoc

On Mon, 25 March 2002, "Kirsten Carroll" wrote:
The sacbee.com Story Toolbar -- "With browser and internet technologies advancing, Web sites are becoming more like applications. Taking this into account, sacbee.com has developed the Story Toolbar. The idea was to combine several different functions into one compact area that is unobtrusive and easy for users to access." (Comments: Take a look at a story on sacbee.com to see the toolbar in action.)
This is kind of cool, and seems to work well. Have a peek. :)

Radu: Hurray!

The tool-tips are gorgeous (good-looking JIT feedback); however, they don't seem to work in Netscape.
I already have a similar snippet for MonDoc, which does work under Netscape . Now imagine being able to choose:

• which tools appear in specific situations (e.g.:
  • on specific pages,
  • when you click one of the tools,
  • when you hover over specific tools or other layout elements,
  • for specific [types of] users, etc.),
• the text of the tip for each tool,
• the background of the tip (in the sacbee case, the little transparent bubble),
• the placement of the tools on the page (horizontal, vertical top, side, following the page as you scroll rather than static at the top of the page as it is now)
• the icon of each tool
• the function of each tool (programmers only)
• ... etc. The only limit is the user's imagination and knowledge of:
  • JavaScript,
  • bitmap and vectorial image editing,
  • layout design, and
  • aesthetics.
  • Experience with usability studies helps too.

And imagine:

• all that in a modular library from which you can pick and choose elements for any new project,
• being able to add to the library whenever you happen to stumble over a new idea, a new widget, etc.

Imagine all that and you'll begin to understand what MonDoc is about.

Yes, it takes imagination, because MonDoc is a tool:

• for people with imagination: it helps them to store their ideas in a usable way, and
• for everybody: it helps people to share in using those ideas.

There will never be a 'definitive MonDocument', because MonDocuments are personal and the users can change them to fit their own purposes.