LR> I prefer not to offer my callers too many choices. The 
 LR> "canned" message menu offers something like 24 options. 
 LR> I have it narrowed down to 6. Many of my callers are 
 LR> new to BBSing and it helps to keep it simple. Even the 
 LR> experienced ones are so used to "point & click" that 
 LR> they seem to have a hard time of it.
win95 is making even technicians look bad. when some tech can't even use DOS, 
you know something is really wrong. and it happens. i've seen it before..
but you could always make your own menus, and keep it simple for your users 
(hope this is ok to post gary).. here's mine:
                      ±Ü²             ,Üž
            ÜÜžß"ßžŪ°ŻŪŪŪŻßžÜś  ,Üžßß ŪŪß Üž²žß"ßžÜ, ,śžßßßßßÜž
          °ŪŪ± ,ž  ßŪŻ°ŪŪ , ŽŪŻÜŪŪŪ ž ŪŪÜŽžŪŻ ž,  Ū°Ż`śßžßŪŪž,
ŚÄÄÄÄÄ ž° Ū²ŪŻ° ž; °Ü ŪŪŻ°ž ±²°Ž°ŪŻž,Ż°±ś²±²;Ū°ž°°°²² °ž°± °Ū±ž²°²Ūž ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄæ
³         °ŪŪ²   ž śÜŻŽŪŪž  ŪŻŪ ŪŪ° ; ŪŪŻß²ŪŻ ,  žŪŻś  ' ž;ŽŪŪ° .as         ³
³           ßßŪžÜ_Üžß °Ūß   ŪŪŪ śžŪžÜÜŽŪ² ßžŪžÜ,žŪßžś`ßžś.śŽŪžß             ³
³                           žß'       `ßž   śCśHśAśOśSś śBśBśSś             ³
³ General Commands          Movement                Advanced Commands       ³
³ Enter Message            -Change Area-            = Read Non-Stop         ³
³ Change Message            Next Message            - Follow Thread (last)  ³
³ Reply to Message          Previous Message        + Follow Thread (next)  ³
³ Forward Message           Browse                  ^Download Attaches      ³
³ :Read Current             List                    Upload Message          ³
³ Kill (delete) Message     Hurl (Move) Msg         Unrecieve Message      ³
ĆÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ ! Logoff ś @ Main ś # Message ś $ Files ś % Doors ś & Sysop ś /? QuicKeys ³
ĆÄ[Message Menu]ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
ĄÄ[Select: śśśś]ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ[Sep 12nd,  7:28]ÄÄ[Node: 01]ÄÄ[Timeleft: lots]ÄŁ
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the "general commands" "movement" and "advanced commands" area headers, and 
all different colors.. the keys are different colors than the word as well 
(you can't logon without ansi - due to this, as putting brakets around things 
look ugly, and there's some locate commands i use that don't look pretty when 
it doesn't locate =) .. and i'm to lazy to make a text-only mex version of 
it, as i spent a long time making it look right). But anyhow, it's fairly 
simple, i could have sectioned it off even more and put boxes around 
everything, but the way i have the menus laid out it wouldn't look any good. 
The bottom bar where it says "Select: ... " and the node number / date etc is 
a mex i have, and it's on the bottom of every menu. the thing below that is 
just a mecca script, that basically copies the default one that comes with 
max.
but i think it's fairly simple to use (much easier in color) and most people 
don't have problems with it.
oops, and i just discovered a bug in that mex.. "12nd" isn't right .. ;) heh.
ttyl, greg
--- Maximus/2 3.01
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