Re: Recently used applications

[John McCutchan <ttb tentacle dhs org>]

On Tue, Oct 29, 2002 at 01:33:24AM +0000, mike wrote:
> On Tue, 2002-10-29 at 04:13, axel c wrote:
> > On Mon, 2002-10-28 at 23:52, Dave Bordoley wrote:
> > > 
> > > The rationale for recent documents is that it moves the interface
> > > towards a more document centered approach, hence users can think about
> > > the objects they want to manipulate rather than the tools they want to
> > > use to manipulate them with. This feature is a real step forward.
> > > 
> > 
> > I fully agree with this. I think the desktop as a whole should be
> > 'object-oriented' rather than 'process-oriented' (not speaking about the
> > programming here, that is irrelevant to the user). He/she just knows
> > that clicking on a document allows him to edit it again.Taking this
> > approacb to the extreme, the user shouldn't even need (stress "need") to
> > know the name of the app he uses for listening to mp3's, or writing
> > letters, or watching camera pictures. So i think the 'recent files'
> > thing, is a great interface enhancement. and i think the right place
> > would be at the very top of the menu, since 'top-left' is the part of
> > the fovea (visual area) that is processed by the brain first, this is an
> > automatic perception process (guess why the 'File' menu has always been
> > top-left).
> > 
> > Of course, this document-oriented orientation is annoying to some users,
> > so the 'make it an option' axyom remains valid here...
> > 
> > 
> > > Recent applications on the other hand would be an arbitrary category of
> > > applications that have no relation to each other than they have been
> > > recently used. 
> 
> For most users this would actually be an important criteria - ie: the
> apps that they have recently used (which would also usually be the most
> used apps)
> 
> Personally I would see this as more usual than the documents option
> (cant recall ever using it in win)

Yes, I switched over some people from Windows XP to gnome 2 (RedHat 8)
And a repeated comment, was where are the list of my recent applications?
People like this feature, most people would use Word, Internet Explorer,
Excel and Windows Media player all the time, so they would always be in
that list. So for them it was a two click process instead of a one click
scan list (That as a non power user you are unfamiliar with and don't
care to get familiar with), click. 
A comment I got was "I hate having to search through the menus just to find 
my movie player".

John