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By Jonathan Bennett ZDNet.co.uk
Posted on ZDNet News: Jun 16, 2009 9:14:23 AM

Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu Linux, has started a project to fix all the niggling user interface annoyances in its distribution.

Called "One Hundred Paper Cuts", it's aimed at getting rid of small issues with the UI that together end up as a world of pain, hence the name. It's just a special bug reporting tool, but they're looking for specific, system-wide issues that aren't true bugs, but still get in the way of ease of use.

It'll be interesting to see the results. One of the problems with usability is that often what people tell you is the problem isn't really what's wrong. There's a mantra in usability of "Don't ask — observe", and it exists for a very good reason. You'll get a far more accurate picture of what in a UI slows people down by watching them than you will from self-reported systems like this.

This isn't to say One Hundred Paper Cuts is a bad idea; It's not, and I'd even urge you to take part. However, the results will be interesting to read as a study of human behaviour, as well as helping Canonical make Linux more usable.

This article was first posted on ZDNet UK.

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Somebody please write a modern OS from scratch
Start with a clean slate. Cast a tiny kernel in stone. Make it read-only to everything. Hell, put it in a quick-boot ROM, even. Virtualize and sandbox every non-kernel process in the entire system. We... (Read the rest)
Posted by: BillDem Posted on: 07/16/09 You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
Ubuntu aims at healing Linux's 'paper cuts'  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
Yawn.  nizuse | 06/16/09
I would disagree..  JT82 | 06/16/09
I wouldn't  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
Maybe not as a desktop but certainly as a server  someitguy79 | 06/16/09
Nor as a server  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
uh huh  someitguy79 | 06/16/09
Nope  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
@loverock  someitguy79 | 06/16/09
@someitguy79  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
Here's a novel idea...  Viva la crank dodo | 06/16/09
I already have  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
You seem confused  Viva la crank dodo | 06/16/09
If Linux is so bad, why is Microsoft so scared?  K B | 06/16/09
Windows Competition  chromeronin | 06/17/09
I've got 782 of them, and only 24 Win2003 boxes  terry flores | 06/16/09
Windows Fanboi LoveRock?  GameOvR | 06/17/09
My 3 years experience with Linux  alfowler@... | 06/25/09
Linux continues to learn...  Viva la crank dodo | 06/16/09
Then learn after its too late  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
But it levels out...  Viva la crank dodo | 06/16/09
Ok this one is too easy  gnesterenko | 06/16/09
Touche (long response)  Viva la crank dodo | 06/17/09
This kind of circular evidence is used all the time by ABMers.  ye | 06/17/09
Im not sure I get your point  Viva la crank dodo | 06/17/09
What a load...  InAction Man | 06/17/09
Wait a second here  Viva la crank dodo | 06/16/09
fallacy  exolon | 06/24/09
Oh yes you can!  InAction Man | 06/16/09
true  gnesterenko | 06/16/09
Not sure...  maskman01 | 06/16/09
Perfect reason  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
I acutally use the following:  maskman01 | 06/16/09
No  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
Do you mean...  maskman01 | 06/16/09
hahahaha  midenginedrift | 06/17/09
Why are you trying to make IT professionals look bad?  B.O.F.H. | 06/16/09
Blah Blah Blah  Alan Smithie | 06/16/09
LOL!  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
Confused???  Parassassin | 06/17/09
Really?! A turd compared to what? Microsoft?  Socratesfoot | 06/17/09
Strange, your description matches Vista's...  Mitch 74 | 06/17/09
Any educated answer on this one?  anilmani | 06/17/09
a bit of perspective...  Mitch 74 | 06/18/09
Do Not Feed the Troll.  zclayton2 | 06/17/09
wow. it would be great if you actually knew anything about linux.  crabbypup | 06/19/09
Haterock...  scoobbs@... | 06/25/09
This is a great idea. But...  ye | 06/16/09
Why are you here?  InAction Man | 06/16/09
Have to Disagree  Rob Oakes | 06/16/09
What you fail to mention is this  gnesterenko | 06/16/09
What you failed to do was...  storm14k | 06/16/09
The world at large clearly disagrees with you:  de-void | 06/16/09
The world at large clearly agrees with marketing...  storm14k | 06/17/09
Ahh and therein lies the rub  gnesterenko | 06/17/09
Yes this is the rub....  storm14k | 06/17/09
Response  gnesterenko | 06/17/09
No facts....  storm14k | 06/17/09
I was taking you serious  Viva la crank dodo | 06/17/09
response  gnesterenko | 06/17/09
Agree to most of what you said  Viva la crank dodo | 06/17/09
Well said...I agree...  USTechHead | 06/18/09
So then which ones are you refering to?  Michael Kelly | 06/16/09
If you say so  Yagotta B. Kidding | 06/16/09
Plenty of cad solutions around  Alan Smithie | 06/16/09
Well theres one you can do without....  storm14k | 06/16/09
Depends what kind of CAD you do  marxmarv | 06/16/09
Are you serious?  ye | 06/17/09
Name something real....PLEASE.  storm14k | 06/17/09
So go to the app vendors...  storm14k | 06/16/09
Why?  gnesterenko | 06/16/09
Because he wants the apps.  storm14k | 06/16/09
Yeah ...  de-void | 06/16/09
I do support the likes of your dad, Grandmother and Brother.  Letophoro | 06/16/09
LMAO....  storm14k | 06/17/09
And therein lies the problem.  ye | 06/17/09
The probelm is fabricated...  storm14k | 06/17/09
Huh?  ye | 06/17/09
@ye  storm14k | 06/17/09
fine. so what?  gnesterenko | 06/17/09
Thats funny....  storm14k | 06/17/09
thanks, that was my point  gnesterenko | 06/17/09
Incompetence?  Viva la crank dodo | 06/17/09
actually  gnesterenko | 06/17/09
How to keep it from getting to that point...  Viva la crank dodo | 06/17/09
sorry  Viva la crank dodo | 06/17/09
REally sorry  Viva la crank dodo | 06/17/09
@gnesterenko: I have to go with what gnesterenko said.  ye | 06/17/09
Exactly...  storm14k | 06/17/09
Assessment  Viva la crank dodo | 06/17/09
Thanks.  progon | 06/16/09
@Loverock: Facts?  JT82 | 06/16/09
Loverock is known M$ shill  MSFTWorshipper | 06/16/09
Facts are in my previous posts  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
Fact?  zkiwi | 06/16/09
Or Fantasy  Alan Smithie | 06/16/09
.  Alan Smithie | 06/16/09
Oh please  gnesterenko | 06/16/09
Here is the weird part  Loverock Davidson | 06/16/09
Is there a problem to respond...  Viva la crank dodo | 06/17/09
No the really wierd part starts here...  Elihion | 06/18/09
Im insulted  Viva la crank dodo | 06/18/09
Please indeed!  InAction Man | 06/16/09
FYI  zkiwi | 06/16/09
Even weirder...  zkiwi | 06/16/09
Where?  storm14k | 06/17/09
That my friend is exactly my point  gnesterenko | 06/17/09
oh really? Loverock...  druid627@... | 06/17/09
You're in the same place I was 10 years ago...  marxmarv | 06/16/09
Gmail?  jackbond | 06/17/09
I'd love to see improvements  Kaiwai | 06/16/09
RE: Ubuntu aims at healing Linux's 'paper cuts'  jphines79 | 06/17/09
response:  gnesterenko | 06/17/09
automaticly retreive telemetry !!!!  po_134@... | 06/17/09
RE: Ubuntu aims at healing Linux's 'paper cuts'  NCWeber | 06/17/09
RE: Ubuntu aims at healing Linux's 'paper cuts'  Romano4444 | 06/17/09
And you are a specialist in human behaviour, right?  InAction Man | 06/17/09
RE: Ubuntu aims at healing Linux's 'paper cuts'  The Rifleman | 06/17/09
RE: Ubuntu aims at healing Linux's 'paper cuts'  ShaneK | 06/17/09
Have you tried 9.04?  InAction Man | 06/17/09
as sson as they fix bluetooth..  inertman@... | 06/17/09
Yeah,  Larsix | 06/18/09
LEAVE LOVEROCK DAVIDSON ALONE, HE'S ON ........  lightingrod | 06/17/09
It just needs to change one thing...  Larsix | 06/18/09
Make editing Menu.lst easier  cquirke | 06/19/09
Must... close... parenthesis...  cquirke | 06/19/09
What kind of people attack Linux?  as901 | 06/19/09
finally! someone that undestands!  crabbypup | 06/19/09
RE: Have you tried 9.04?  Romano4444 | 06/21/09
Shshshshshsh  scoobbs@... | 06/25/09
IT Professionals?????  roelmann | 06/24/09
LOL...  scoobbs@... | 06/25/09
RE: Ubuntu aims at healing Linux's 'paper cuts'  The_Quietman | 06/26/09
Microsoft Propaganda defend Malware called Windows?  as901 | 06/28/09
I use Ubuntu and how!  Altotus | 06/28/09
Somebody please write a modern OS from scratch  BillDem | 07/16/09

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