Re: [Usability] New way of accessing software (WAS: Re: Big Panelmenus (32x32))

["Eugenia Loli-Queru" <eloli hotmail com>]

> I think that instead of creating a new application for your proposed
> applications/files view, this is something that Nautilus could very well
> handle. Maybe a new view for applications with some more information.

My point was to make this the default app/file launcher, not having to load
a whole nautilus window which is full of other controls and functionality
around it, which gets in the way of utilizing the idea correctly.

> Not sure about including information and the possibility to uninstall,
> this is certainly easier to handle with a specialized app like Red
> Carpet. Maybe this Nautilus view could provide hooks for uninstallers
> which then is only displayed when available or something like that.

Everything about apps should be integrated. There is no reason to have a
different app handling installation/uninstallation, when it is always about
apps.

My good friend Michael, IMed me the other day. He used OSX for the first
time. His first question on IM was:
"I installed an application and it messed up something. How do I uninstall
it?" And remember, on Macs, most of the time, you just trash their directory
under /Applications, it is that simple. But even that was not obvious for
him, because he had to use different means to install an app (there are 5
ways to do that on Macs, with .sit, bin, hqx, dmg etc), different means to
load an app (go to Finder, navigate to /Applications, find your app) and
different means to uninstall it (most of the time by trashing the dir).
Coming to think about it, yes, it is a simple procedure. But it is not a
uniformed procedure. Therefore, it is not an obvious one, and anything that
it is not obvious to the user, is falling in the category of a bad design.

> File management will probably become more metadata like soon.

I surely hope so. The technology is here. All it needs to be done, is the
developers use it.

Daniel, thanks for the nice comments on your other reply as well. :)

Eugenia