HELP: categories for awards

Developer.com is going to be giving away product of the year awards for 2002. CodeGuru.com is associated with Developer.com. I'm interested in hearing suggestions from you guys on categories for awards. We have already come up with categories; however, I'd like to see if your suggestions match what we have come up with. We still have time to change the categories, so I'll take your suggestions seriously.

I'll be asking for product suggestions later.

Opinions?

Product of the Year is obvious.


What do you think as far as others?

Don't forget a GUI Design Award. Today it seems to me that many companies don't even have UI designers. They deliver applications that are hard to use and get used to, and that's not how it should be. In my opinion, a good UI not only looks cool and modern but is also intuitive and really easy-to-use.

In short, the app that makes the most complicated task extremely simple definitely deserves an award.

Possible candidates would be City Desk by Fog Creek Software, WinAmp by Nullsoft and perhaps the Microsoft Network Messenger. I'm sure you could think of more candidates.

I think WinZip 7.0 has a great user interface as well.

a standard "de facto".

Cesare

Btw, do not forget Clearcode_Merrion is "TheOnlyOne" ;)

Most Inovative Application award:
I don't know if that is the correct term. What I mean is those applications that fill a niche no other application has ever filled.

Most Versitile Award:
Applications that do a wide range of tasks. The kind of app that you think 'hrm I wonder if XAPP does this as well?" and it does.

Most Useful Application/ Can't live without it award:
Applications which as soon as you use them become a big important part of your daily work. Those applications that really make your life/work easier.

No Competition Award/Field leader:
Those applications that have blown away the competition so well, that they are now, not only the leader in the field, but really the manopoly. I mean by being a good program though, not by buying up the competition or anything. For example: WinZip: there are others like WinArg, but how many people do you know that use them?

Support Award:
The amount and quality of support for an application can be a big part of how useful the application can be.

Reliability Award:
Those apps that just don't crash and/or can recover from almost anything.

Component Award:
Those Applications which provide a vast variety of API or ActiveX components that allow you to customise the application, or connect to it from other applications. (In my humble opinion all apps should do this, and it would be really good to promote it).

Are we allowed to put in suggestions for negative awards?

Most out of date award:
Those new apps that do what others did years ago.

Most Infuriating Award:
Those apps that are just so over-complicated or tempremental they don't do what they are supposed to unless you have a team of scientists interacting with them at every point.


I know some of these are a little daft, but hey, I had a spare ten mins.

Cheers,
Angelus

Quote:

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Originally posted by Captain Nuss
Don't forget a GUI Design Award. Today it seems to me that many companies don't even have UI designers. They deliver applications that are hard to use and get used to, and that's not how it should be. In my opinion, a good UI not only looks cool and modern but is also intuitive and really easy-to-use.

In short, the app that makes the most complicated task extremely simple definitely deserves an award.

Possible candidates would be City Desk by Fog Creek Software, WinAmp by Nullsoft and perhaps the Microsoft Network Messenger. I'm sure you could think of more candidates.

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Most useful comment yet !

*thumbz up*

I love GUI, and I cherish GOOD GUI design. I also do it myself, and even if i didnt i would know when a GUI sucks !

GUIs rule baby !

May i suggest Internet Explorer 6 ?

;)

Also Windows Explorer, Messenger, and Adobe Illustrator (its s0 sexee)

Regards,