Re: [gedit-list] gedit 2.15.2 released

[John Pye <john pye student unsw edu au>]

I for one like the MDI in gedit. I use it as my primary programming
editor in Linux. One day I might get a bigger hammer, but for now this
one is fine :-)

I do think that the keystroke for changing between tabs needs to be
shown in the menus (and it should be ctrl-TAB or ctrl-PgUp, not
ctrl-alt-PgUp, which is a pain).

I also think that it shouldn't default to opening multiple copies of
documents -- it should default to raising the already-open document's
tab. I think that opening multiple copies of the same document is a very
rare use-case compared to someone opening something that they forgot
they had already opened.

Regarding the 'common user': the common user for something like gedit
*is* a programmer. How many people do you know use Notepad in windows
for anything except programming and technical tasks like editing
configuration files? A 'text editor' is not something the non-technical
user has anything to do with.

Cheers
JP

Dimi Paun wrote:
> On Tue, May 16, 2006 7:03 am, Paolo Maggi wrote:
>   
>> You were not silently ignored. We know some people do not like tabs, but
>> we as gedit developers, think that there is a vast majority of our users
>> that like them.
>>     
>
> This seems to be very unlikely. The vast majority of users open a file
> in gedit once in a blue moon, and for whom it makes no sense to subscribe
> to a mailing list and argue till the cows come home. It's simpler to live
> with the annoying behaviour.
>
> The only user group for witch MDI makes sense for a text editor are
> programmers, and those are by definition a minority. And within that
> user group, most people use _other_ editors like emacs, vim, Eclipse,
> etc. for their programming needs.
>
> Unless your workflow revolves around gedit, and you use gedit
> _exclusively_, MDI gets in the way. Its as simple as that. Lets
> look at a few common use cases:
>   A. Open on-off file with the default editor to see what's inside
>      Clearly the tab is silly, in the way, and confusing. Moreover,
>      it eats precious vertical real estate.
>   B. Open a few files for viewing (say as a reference)
>      In this case, I need to switch between apps (say between
>      console, and the few README files I have opened for reference).
>      Instead of simply Alt-TAB'ing between apps, each back-and-forth
>      takes a _lot_ more effort. Not only that, but I have to remember
>      what files where opened with gedit/gvim/etc. It's insane.
>
> In fact, the only use case where MDI makes sense is as a Emacs/Eclipse
> replacement. But this is not the proper role for the "official" GNOME
> editor.
>
>   
>> Furthermore, no one is paying us to develop gedit or
>> donating money to the project. We offer our limited time trying to
>> develop a fine editor, but we really have not the time to duplicate part
>> of the code to support SDI and MDI behavior.
>>     
>
> Fair enough. Everybody is free to cater to whatever niche. But gedit
> is the _official_ (default) GNOME editor, and as such has a duty to
> cater to the common user first and foremost. The bells and wistles are
> a bonus, but shouldn't come in the way of the most simple and common
> use cases.
>
>   

-- 
John Pye
School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
The University of New South Wales
Sydney  NSW 2052  Australia
t +61 2 9385 5127
f +61 2 9663 1222
mailto:john.pye_AT_student_DOT_unsw.edu.au
http://pye.dyndns.org/