You already know just how impressivee I think this work is. Here's a few suggestions

1) Make the < into an up-arrow or an ^ arrow 
|_

to signifiy upwards (in the menu tree)

Left arrow as up-a-level is hard for some people to get their head around (perhaps make it configurable??)

2) consider making the default menu a bit simpler

EyeTv 
DVD 
FrontRow 
etc (basically the Behaviours the person has registered_ 
---- 
Vol 
---

I did this and now my partner feels they can manage it :)

cheers, 
chris 

thanks for the input.

1) The reason why there is a < instead of an up-arrow is that the 
menu is visually ordered from left to right and a press on the "left" 
button will navigate "to the left". I think an up-arrow would be 
confusing here.

2) Good idea! That actually inspires me to do something else, but not 
too different ;-)

Thanks again!

Best regards, 
Felix 

Since Front Row already uses the MENU button to back up, 
using the MENU button would seem to be an obvious choice to make 
user control simple and consistant between the other applications.

The regular RB menu system is well thought out and allows one to 
control just about anything- but it not intuitive enough so that one 
can hand it to anyone (the babysitter) and have them figure out how 
to work the basic items in a home audio/visual system.

Mira has a simple system like this, but the EyeTV part isn't there yet.

The first company that comes out with a "babysitter simple" remote 
control system that can be added to older macs -like my old cube- 
will have an unstoppable product that will spread like wildfire! 
But it all hinges on making it consistant with Front Row.

I tried to customize RB with a Keyspan Remote for Front Row to do 
but I couldn't get it to go- I could use the regular RB interface just fine, 
but my babysitter could not figure it out. 
Maybe it is time for me to try again with an Apple Remote.

After all- these are Apple computers--Think Different!

I've been able to achieve most of this with a custom profile/menu .. try it - it is quite impressive one you get it singing

I'm also looking forward to being able to change the default remote buddy menu launch button as I am thinking something like this would be easier ..

Dear Babysitter

A long Menu press changes the main function to TV, DVD or CD etc (This would launche remote buddy to swap to DVD TV etc)- use it for swapping programs (if your just watching TV then use a short menu press to access the functions of the Tv (EyeTV)

 
best, 
chris 

Cool.

Have a think about up down as the menu conceptualisation ??? Perhaps sound out a few people .. I think people understand DOWN for more detail and UP for less or higher level .. I think this is becoming more common/standard .. I guess it is all about how to get this out of the hands/minds of the few into the hands of the many .. perhaps so apple buys you and you can retire wealthy beyond your dreams!

cheers, 
chris 

thanks for sharing.

1) "Simple alternate menu" => you can easily build that in minutes by 
creating your own customized menu via drag&drop.

2) There is one major reason why the menu button can't be used like 
in Front Row: Remote Buddy follows a totally different philosophy.

While Front Row is designed as a full-screen application wanting all 
your attention for its entire runtime, can't be run in the background 
and does not allow you to enter and leave it at will (you *always* 
have to go up and down the entire menu hierarchy), Remote Buddy is 
all different:

It can run in the background and can easily be switched from and to. 
Why is this relevant? Because if "Menu" goes up a menu level, "left" 
and "right" are used for embedded elements like volume sliders, "up" 
and "down" for scrolling and "play" for selection, how could you 
switch from and to the menu without leaving it Front Row style level 
by level? You could use the hold status of the Menu button, but how 
intuitive is that?

3) [removed for now]

4) Thanks for the babysitter analogy! Gave me a couple new ideas 
right away ;-)

Best regards, 
Felix 

The button mapping inside the menu might be configurable at some 
point, but no promisses. It's not hard to code, but hard to design 
the configuration interface in a way it doesn't become too crowded or 
irritating ..

Best regards, 
Felix 

the current left / right arrows were actually born out of experience. 
The right arrow has always been there, but - if you look at many of 
the early posts to this forum - you'll find that they did not know 
about pressing the left button to get up a level. That was the point 
where I added the left arrow to the menu. Since then, questions about 
this have become more the exception than the rule.

I think an up arrow on the left and a down arrow on the right would 
be confusing. At least it would confuse me ;-) .. plus at least right 
arrows are also used on the iPod.

If the menu levels would visually come and go to the fore-/background 
of the menu and thus there would be an up / down analogy people could 
visually connect to, I'd probably embrace your idea in a heartbeat.

I guess Apple would be one of the very few, if not the only company, 
that I'd consider selling to - if they would mind to ask that is. ;-)

The wealth that I'm aiming for in life is not related to money, 
though .. good health, real love and friends are so much more 
valuable - all things that can't be bought for any amount of money.

Cheers, 
Felix 

Not sure I followed your answer.

I meant being able to configure the button that invokes the Remote Buddy menu. Obviously it is a short menu press now.. which can't be altered by the user (unless I've missed it?) .

If you do make it available for configuration at some stage then I would like to be able to experiment with a long press for remote Buddy menu (treating it more as a program switcher) and short presses for use within the programs I use ..

best regards, 
chris 

Couldn't agree more; that money isn't wealth.

I was actually thinking arrows like (but prettier):

^ - 
|_ and | 
v

I've noticed a few examples of < Command > that don't MOVE left (up in my thinking) or right (eg. station and Aspect Ratio).

Not being disparaging about myself (and others on the group) but perhaps we're more comfortable with "nerdy" interfaces than the average user.

Serious question: have you had any non-IT females give feedback .. every household has "she who must be obeyed" .. seriously if they don't like/get it immediately then there is resistance.

best, 
chris 

thanks for following up.

The problem I see with this is that it can easily get confusing, i.e. 
if you had the "Menu (hold)" button configured to bring up the menu:

1) Press "Menu (hold)" => menu appears 
2) Press "Menu (hold)" => scrolls to first entry (default) while in 
the menu 
3) Press "Menu" => menu disappears 
4) Press "Menu" => menu doesn't appear

You see the problem there.

Anyhow, I keep thinking about how to make this configurable in a way 
it doesn't get totally confusing for users who just play around with 
the configuration :-)

Best regards, 
Felix 

ahh, now it gets clearer. I'll think about it, but no promises.

I know no IT-females - only the non-IT ones ;-) .. but I kept your 
question in mind and set up an iBook G3 with Keyspan Receiver, RB RC2 
and Apple Remote as a jukebox for the party I gave on Saturday and 
let the guests play around with it or gave them small tasks like "you 
want to hear band XYZ? Here's the remote .." . It worked fine :-)

I've a couple of new ides for the menu in my mind - and I like them 
so much, that I want to put them into code as soon as I get done with 
the release ToDo list. They'll definately rock (*especially* for non- 
IT people ;-).

Best regards, 
Felix 

best, 
chris