OT: Tractors (was: UI design)

On Thu, 2002-09-19 at 22:15, John wrote:

> Remember I've been driving since I was a small child, and licenced since '65. 
> I've driven vehicles from small cars (Honda N600) to tractors (not sure what 
> Americans call them, but I think you use the word for something else) and 
> small (4t) vans.

Tractors can be several things in the US. There's farm tractors, and
then there are Tractor Trailer "Semi" combination units. 18 wheels, 75
feet long and 40 tons of fun, (especially on city streets- NOT!) like I
used to drive in my pre-linux days. I was licensed to pull 3 trailers at
once, but fortunately was never asked to. The transmissions in semi's
are generally not synchronized like in automobiles, so you get real good
at "double clutching" and finally shifting without using the clutch at
all, called "floating the gears". Why I didn't buy an automatic after
seven years of trucking I still don't understand.

> I stalled the thing twice before I got more than 100 metres from the
> dealer's yard, and it was a couple of days before I could coordinate
> the clutch and accelerator.

Don't feel bad, I still stall my car regularly. It doesn't have the
low-end torque of a 425 horsepower Detroit Diesel.

> A familiar layout is important.

Try moving back and fourth between vehicles that *look* basically the
same externally, but have 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, or 15 forward gears and some
had 2 speeds in reverse! (try backing up at 5-10 miles/hour at idle with
a trailer sometime) I luckily never had to drive one of the old Mack
trucks with Two shift levers that had to be moved in unison. (Um, who's
holding onto the steering wheel?) 

-- 
Chris Kloiber