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<Two people (both working for US government) stated they had apps that opened
with a blank screen - interesting.>
As one of those working for the US government who responded to Suzette, I'd like
to add a clarification. The option that allows our users to run the program with
the blank gray screen (menu bar only) rather than loading an opening graphic was
added in response to USER REQUEST. The "default" opening screen includes a
graphic.
Most of our users work from remote sites, often on older equipment. Graphic load
time is a major issue. One user told me it took him over 4 minutes to load the
graphic when logging in remotely. Hence, our users prefer the blank gray
screen.
My caution to anyone encountering a nonstandard interface would be to keep an
open mind. How many of us have struggled to make a document conform to a good
template or style guide that wasn't good for THAT document? Check out the
rationale for why an interface is nonstandard before accepting it or rejecting
it. (If nothing else, an open, explain-this-to-me approach is usually a less
threatening way to approach the developer.)
