Re: Nautilus 2.6 - We're going all spatial

[John Siracusa <siracusa mindspring com>]

>>> This interface is partially inspired by the interface described in
>>> http://arstechnica.com/paedia/f/finder/finder-1.html .  Interested
>>> parties should read that before getting involved in the discussion.
>> 
>> I find most of the arguments in that article to be very subjective, and
>> not very well-founded.
> 
> I agree. I put very little weight in what the writers at Ars Technica
> think. I suspect Dave linked to it because it helps explains the MacOS 9
> Finder's design and not because its a good defense of those ideas.

I was going for both, of course.  Regardless, I don't think it's fair to be
"institutionally dismissed" out of hand ;)

>> Before making such a big paradigm shift it would probably be better to
>> do a thorough research on how the model actually affects users.

Millions of Mac users performed roughly 16 years of "research" in this area
by using the Mac OS Finder every single day.  Even if you choose to ignore
the distilled analysis of one particular member of that community, I think
it'd behoove you all to at least consider the vast collective experience of
Mac users in the area of "Object Oriented" file management, as you call it.

In particular, I'd suggest talking to graphics artists and other traditional
Mac users who have to deal with a vast number of ever-changing files and
folders as part of an ongoing workflow.  Very few computer users deal with
and manipulate with as many different files on a daily basis.

Finally, as I tried to express in my article, I do not believe there is any
inherent conflict or tension between the two styles of file management.
Properly implemented, both can easily exist within the same application, and
without undue user confusion.

It is the failure of file mangers to properly distinguish between the two
behaviors that has resulted in the current crop of confusing "mixed-metahor"
file managers that discourage the user from finding a comfort zone and
"trusting" the application.

Furthermore, I would much rather see a pure, dedicated, powerful,
browser-style file management application than yet another noncommittal UI
train wreck like the Mac OS X Finder--an anemic file browser unhappily wed
to a sporadically functioning, unpredictable, pseudo-spatial interface which
it effectively subsumes.

Where you go with Nautilus is up to you, but be aware that there is at least
one very tempting destination that I worse than where you are today :)

-John