Apple seems to be applying an iTunes-style interface to a lot of their apps, including the Finder. Where do you think this interface originated? It is a bit like the Windows file browser....isn't it? What's the earliest example of this interface?
Apple seems to be applying an iTunes-style interface to a lot of their apps, including the Finder. Where do you think this interface originated? It is a bit like the Windows file browser....isn't it? What's the earliest example of this interface?
QuickTime 5, if I'm not mistaken. Or was it version 4?
well if ur talking about metal i think it was 4 (though it could have been 5)...wasn't version 4 the brilliant design with the thumb wheel to adjust volume
as for the design of playlist and how that is setup...i'm not really sure, i know outlook had the style for a while but i highly doubt they were the first...i belive that style goes back a long ways, it was just never implemented in mp3 programs for some reason...and as you can see its very efficient and clean
iTunes borrows much of its interface from Cassady and Greene's Soundjam MP, a wonderful MP3 player they acquired during a buyout. (I know - I paid $29.95 for the full version)
I think it is difficult to say exactly where the interface originates from. I'm pretty sure you're talking about the actual layout of the elements and content, as opposed to the 'brushed metal' treatment that is applied.
Apple has adopted the layout to a lot of apps. Panther's Finder, Safari, etceteras.
It's such a classic design that it is hard to really pinpoint the roots. It's a good question, who knows
iTunes borrows much of its interface from Cassady and Greene's Soundjam MP, a wonderful MP3 player they acquired during a buyout. (I know - I paid $29.95 for the full version)
""Goodnight Everybody!" is the farewell cry we have heard every night since Charles has been at C&G - He has usually been the first one here in the morning and as he left each night around five he would bellow out his goodbye for all to hear. We will hear that cry for the last time when we close our doors on July 3rd.
It is with profound regret that we inform you that Casady & Greene will close its doors on July 3rd, 2003, after nineteen years in the Software Publishing business. We have endured many industry downturns, but the last three years have presented a series of economic disasters from which we were unable to rebound. Please know that we are deeply grateful for your patronage and have been honored to serve you and please accept our very sincere apologies for any difficulties or inconveniences caused you by our closure.
The individual authors of our products have provided us with a list of contact points for customer support and product purchase. Those contact points are listed below and we encourage you to explore the web sites of all the authors whose products we were privileged to publish and seek support as needed from the talented individuals who wrote your software. Again, we extend to you our heartfelt apologies as well as our enduring gratitude.
None of us wants to hear his final Goodnight - all of us wish we had found the magic answer that would have kept us at least afloat and preferably brought us back to full sail. It has been a great run, and while we all wish it weren't over, the struggle to stay afloat in the last few years has taken it's toll. It's time to close the doors and... we couldn't go without saying goodbye.. You are the reason we have been here working without pay for the last year, You are wonderful. You, our customers, have been a great community to serve... thank you.
Very Sincerely,
The Stockholders, VPs and Staff of Casady & Greene "
i'm not sure what else they make i know soundjam but iTunes is more used then that now...and conflict catcher i belive they made...well with OS X that kinda made ti obsolete
iTunes borrows much of its interface from Cassady and Greene's Soundjam MP, a wonderful MP3 player they acquired during a buyout. (I know - I paid $29.95 for the full version)
I must disagree. The original interface is very little like C&G's design even though the app itself was just a dumbed-down, feature-stripped SoundJam. The only thing they really had in common was the metal QuickTime 3-like backing.
For reference, here's the original iTunes 1.0 interface:
os 9 memories... ::snif:: anyone have screenshots of SoundJam MP? I remember I digged it much more then iTunes until I used the search feature... It also had a recording feature and alarm clock feature (along with SKINS!) that have yet to make it to iTunes... anyone have the X version of the program? I'd be interested in playing with it...
A lot of this stuff can be traced back to the NeXTstep OS and before that, the Apple Lisa.
Don't forget that the first iApp was iMovie, which put its shelf on the right side instead of the left. I thought the iTunes Source window was sort of like Explorer in Windows when it first came out, though it acts differently insomuch as it doesn't try to do as many things, not have multiple versions of the same thing. Also remember that IE 5 for Mac had a bunch of sidebars and the customizable toolbar, and the debate contintues to this day whether the MS MBU came up with this first or whether they got a sneak peek at OS X. Does anyone have an old SoundJam screenshot?
Yeah, let me be explicit here...I'm talking about the layout and the mechanics of the interface. I'd say that the listing of devices and volumes on the left is definitely of the nature of the Windows file browser, but the similarities do seem to diverge from that point.
The news about C&G is very sad.
But, back on topic, forget about the brushed metal stuff...just look at the interface. The best part is that once you learn the metaphor, each application becomes easier to understand.
The -potential danger- is that you'll be hard-pressed to differentiate between application windows, especially when miniaturized with Expose.
iTunes borrows much of its interface from Cassady and Greene's Soundjam MP, a wonderful MP3 player they acquired during a buyout. (I know - I paid $29.95 for the full version)
Soundjam was excellent, and they didn't exactly buy them out, they just stole the lead designers from C&G...and now, 3 years later, C&G is going out of business
I really really really liked soundjam and adapting to iTunes has been tough.
I'd like to see your sources for this. Everything I read said that Apple purchased the rights to SoundJam and its code base and hired the one lead programmer for it.
Remember that SoundJam's code wasn't outright owned by C&G, it was owned by the guy who wrote it -- what's his name? Robbins? One of the guys who wrote Conflict Catcher I think. I think the SoundJam brand and front-end was C&G property, I can't remember the details exactly. My recollection was that Apple approached him to license the source code. Apple did hire the guy too, which is why development of SoundJam stopped -- he was working on iTunes. Apple also hired Andy O'Meara for the visualizer, though only temporarily, and another poor soul did all the CD-R drivers. I wouldn't be surprised if others from C&G and its affiliates went to Apple in that time or soon after it. It's true that the purchase of their best programmer/designer set C&G back, but the release of OS X is what sank C&G. Patchwork, hack and utility software makers are always subject to the whim of the platform as it matures. Such was C&G, whose main products were either made obsolete by OS X, or were crazy late to make the upgrade to the new platform.
I'd like to see your sources for this. Everything I read said that Apple purchased the rights to SoundJam and its code base and hired the one lead programmer for it.
By stole I meant bought
but I'm bitter because I loved Soundjam, and am not very fond of iTunes.
I'm bitter because I bought SoundJam MP (for ~A$50) exactly 3 days before MWSF 01. That was the last time I bought ANY Mac product, from Apple or otherwise, before a MacWorld.
Comments
Originally posted by drewprops
Apple seems to be applying an iTunes-style interface to a lot of their apps, including the Finder. Where do you think this interface originated? It is a bit like the Windows file browser....isn't it? What's the earliest example of this interface?
QuickTime 5, if I'm not mistaken. Or was it version 4?
as for the design of playlist and how that is setup...i'm not really sure, i know outlook had the style for a while but i highly doubt they were the first...i belive that style goes back a long ways, it was just never implemented in mp3 programs for some reason...and as you can see its very efficient and clean
Apple has adopted the layout to a lot of apps. Panther's Finder, Safari, etceteras.
It's such a classic design that it is hard to really pinpoint the roots. It's a good question, who knows
Originally posted by francisG3
iTunes borrows much of its interface from Cassady and Greene's Soundjam MP, a wonderful MP3 player they acquired during a buyout. (I know - I paid $29.95 for the full version)
Cassady and Greene when out of business yesterday
It is with profound regret that we inform you that Casady & Greene will close its doors on July 3rd, 2003, after nineteen years in the Software Publishing business. We have endured many industry downturns, but the last three years have presented a series of economic disasters from which we were unable to rebound. Please know that we are deeply grateful for your patronage and have been honored to serve you and please accept our very sincere apologies for any difficulties or inconveniences caused you by our closure.
The individual authors of our products have provided us with a list of contact points for customer support and product purchase. Those contact points are listed below and we encourage you to explore the web sites of all the authors whose products we were privileged to publish and seek support as needed from the talented individuals who wrote your software. Again, we extend to you our heartfelt apologies as well as our enduring gratitude.
None of us wants to hear his final Goodnight - all of us wish we had found the magic answer that would have kept us at least afloat and preferably brought us back to full sail. It has been a great run, and while we all wish it weren't over, the struggle to stay afloat in the last few years has taken it's toll. It's time to close the doors and... we couldn't go without saying goodbye.. You are the reason we have been here working without pay for the last year, You are wonderful. You, our customers, have been a great community to serve... thank you.
Very Sincerely,
The Stockholders, VPs and Staff of Casady & Greene "
Originally posted by francisG3
iTunes borrows much of its interface from Cassady and Greene's Soundjam MP, a wonderful MP3 player they acquired during a buyout. (I know - I paid $29.95 for the full version)
I must disagree. The original interface is very little like C&G's design even though the app itself was just a dumbed-down, feature-stripped SoundJam. The only thing they really had in common was the metal QuickTime 3-like backing.
For reference, here's the original iTunes 1.0 interface:
And, yes, it was a mix of the atrocious QuickTime 4 Player interface and the then Mac OS X Public Beta's Aqua.
maybe its on one of my old HDs...
Don't forget that the first iApp was iMovie, which put its shelf on the right side instead of the left. I thought the iTunes Source window was sort of like Explorer in Windows when it first came out, though it acts differently insomuch as it doesn't try to do as many things, not have multiple versions of the same thing. Also remember that IE 5 for Mac had a bunch of sidebars and the customizable toolbar, and the debate contintues to this day whether the MS MBU came up with this first or whether they got a sneak peek at OS X. Does anyone have an old SoundJam screenshot?
The news about C&G is very sad.
But, back on topic, forget about the brushed metal stuff...just look at the interface. The best part is that once you learn the metaphor, each application becomes easier to understand.
The -potential danger- is that you'll be hard-pressed to differentiate between application windows, especially when miniaturized with Expose.
Originally posted by francisG3
iTunes borrows much of its interface from Cassady and Greene's Soundjam MP, a wonderful MP3 player they acquired during a buyout. (I know - I paid $29.95 for the full version)
Soundjam was excellent, and they didn't exactly buy them out, they just stole the lead designers from C&G...and now, 3 years later, C&G is going out of business
I really really really liked soundjam and adapting to iTunes has been tough.
Originally posted by Wrong Robust
they just stole the lead designers from C&G
I'd like to see your sources for this. Everything I read said that Apple purchased the rights to SoundJam and its code base and hired the one lead programmer for it.
Originally posted by Brad
I'd like to see your sources for this. Everything I read said that Apple purchased the rights to SoundJam and its code base and hired the one lead programmer for it.
By stole I meant bought
but I'm bitter because I loved Soundjam, and am not very fond of iTunes.
Barto
SoundJam had brushed metal with live window dragging... back in OS 9 before the public beta days.