h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I thought the best bit was Don't Panic.

Say, didn't we used to see Don't Panic around here?...

Still do - just click on the 'Help!' button.

Speaking of buttons...

...and bingo I get to press the button again!

Stephen Moore (sp?), in one of his more manic guises.

If I recall, the Don't Panic of the original Guide was on the cover... you didn't have to open it (or click on it) to read the reassuring message

And neither did you have to boot up a computer, find your browser, run it, type in a URL, and then click on the 'Help!' button.

So much for predictive fiction...

Blah, blah... when is the new skin coming?

But I think my genuine favourite part of the Guide is that people care so much about it - enough to try to make it real! That's why I love h2g2 (despite all the dodgy goings-on of the BBC...)

Keep up the good work, Mark, you're bringing dreams to life..

Rob.

(gee that sounded a bit corny...)

I was just wondering how did Clive Dunn (Private Jones') classic catchphrase from "Dad's Army" make it onto the the front of the Guide? Why not "It's the Fuzzy Wuzzies" or Pike's "I'll tell my mum" ...

Just grab the "Don't Panic" image, adjust the size appropriately, and set it as a background. Then you get the reassuring message as soon as your computer boots up... Or you could replace the "starting windows" screen with it, if you'd prefer.

There isn't a definite timescale until it's been scheduled properly, but that's what we are doing right now. I'm off to a meeting in five minutes with Nat and the team to see their summary of this Talking Point, the results of some user testing, and their ideas for the skin. So it's definitely happening, but as always I'm loathe to give a definite date until it's, well, definite.

Yay!

And just to report back, the results of the user testing were fascinating, and give us the first step on defining a hassle-free user interface. As you'd expect the hard part is deciding on usability of design, not the colours and so on, so they're now working on a functional spec for the new skin, which can then be converted into a design.

It's quite a step up from the slightly haphazard methodologies we've always used in the past. Exciting stuff!

Hurrah! Good for you guys. Usability testing is a marvelous thing, isn't it?

I spent some time trolling through the Talking Point for my last Post article, so I know there is a lot of useful stuff in there to consider. Best of luck to you, Nat, and the rest of the team!

Speaking of HHGTTG things to be found in H2G2, I once clicked a button and got a pop-up message reading "Please do not press this button again."

That was on the Post Message button wasn't it? If you pressed it three times I think it was.

That was on the Post Message button wasn't it? If you pressed it three times I think it was.

That was on the Post Message button wasn't it? If you pressed it three times I think it was.

Maybe it wasn't on the Post Message button then

Please do not post that message again.

Please do not post that message again.

Please do not post that message again.

Okay

Okay

Okay

It's not my fault, the site was playing up and I wasn't sure it had sent. (Actually I think it was the "Store Journal" button, but I suppose it's much the same).