This brings to mind what Eric Raymond refers to as "the Rule of Least Surprise": when designing a tool, make it behave in the least surprising manner possible (for your target user group). Building a car? Install a steering wheel, not a tilt controller unrder the seat; don't switch the accelerator and brake pedals around.
To amplify your VCR example a bit: I have four VCRs, one of which only works as a tuner any more. The clocks are set. But I have to know four different procedures for setting the clock, three different sets of steps for programming them to record a show. I decided it was worth it to me, that it wasn't THAT big a deal to figure it out, but there's no good reason that I should have had to figure it out four times. (Actually, since I have four methods to keep straight, none of them completely 'stick'; I wind up figuring out all four again each time the power goes out or DST starts/ends.)
(no subject)
To amplify your VCR example a bit: I have four VCRs, one of which only works as a tuner any more. The clocks are set. But I have to know four different procedures for setting the clock, three different sets of steps for programming them to record a show. I decided it was worth it to me, that it wasn't THAT big a deal to figure it out, but there's no good reason that I should have had to figure it out four times. (Actually, since I have four methods to keep straight, none of them completely 'stick'; I wind up figuring out all four again each time the power goes out or DST starts/ends.)