Application/System Tools vs System/Administration

[Rob Adams <readams readams net>]

I think that the separation of these two menus is confusing.

Currently, the gnome-system-tools items, requiring a root password to
run, are in the System/Administration menu, and other tools, such as
gconf-editor, terminal, root terminal (requiring a root password to
run), File browser, floppy formatter, etc are in Applications/System
Tools.

While I (vaguely) understand the distinction between the two areas, I
still find myself searching both menus when I look for a tool in the
menus.  Admittedly I don't use the tools very often since I usually just
use the command line, but if anything I think that this unfamiliarity
better reflects what a user would experience.

The two menus are in very different places, and their distinction is
confusing.

First, what is a "System Tool"?  To me, this seems like a dumping ground
for the tools that defy easy categorization, similar to "Accessories".
For example, why is the Floppy Formatter a "System Tool" and not an
"Accessory"?  The "Key Ring Manager" is also a "System Tool", but the
"Archive Manager" is an Accessory.  The distinction seems to be that all
the "System Tools" are much harder to use than the "Administration"
tools.

There are other strange categorizations as well:
If you want to edit a plaintext document, that's an Accessory, but
editing any other text document requires heading to the "Office".

Of course these are hard problems to solve, but I do think that
rethinking the organization of these menus could lead to profitable
improvements in the usability of the menus.

One more random point:  What do you think about simply completely
removing the "Windows" control panel applet?  There's nothing in there
that most people should really ever have to configure.

-Rob