On Sunday, 29 June 2014 18:38:21 UTC+2, Stephen Sprunk  wrote:   
   > On 29-Jun-14 08:10, bob wrote:   
   > > Stephen Sprunk  wrote:   
   > >> Digital phones can have lots of lines, limited only by the number   
   > >> of buttons on the phone.  But more buttons still costs more money;   
   > >> in most cases, the typical desk phone only has 2-3 line buttons,   
   > >> and only a receptionist's phone has more (one for every user's   
   > >> extension).   
   > >    
   > > Surely a modern desk phone would have some sort of display and menu   
   > > type system so that an arbitrary number of "lines" could be   
   > > accessed?   
   >    
   > That's too complicated (and slow) for the average user.   
      
   Certainly if it is a dirt cheap badly designed phone, but even the average   
   nokia phone from 15 years ago had more functionality (eg integrated phone book   
   and SMS), and ordinary people had no trouble figuring out how to use them.   
      
   > Touch displays make it a bit easier since you don't need a physical key   
   > for each line, but you still need to burn screen real estate for them,   
   > and the minimum size is constrained by the need to put enough text on   
   > the "button" to identify the line, e.g. an extension number or name.  In   
   > practice, the vast majority of users never need more than one line   
   > anyway; even secretaries only use two or three.  That's about the limit   
   > of how many calls a typical user can mentally keep track of anyway.   
   >    
   > The main exception is attendants, and they get special phones with lots   
   > of lines and/or big screens--and training in how to use them.  A normal   
   > phone is expected to be usable with zero training, and that limits how   
   > complicated the interface can be.   
      
   If recent developments at my place of work are anything to go by, the days of   
   the phone itself as a separate physical object are numbered.  We are   
   transitioning to a system where the "phone" is just a receiver/cradle that is   
   a USB peripheral for a PC,    
   and everything else is done in software.  Every PC has a generous (by phone   
   standards) high resolution full colour display with keyboard/mouse interaction.   
      
   Robin   
      
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