Re: In support of Bowie

["Dan Kaminsky" <effugas best com>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Vogt <tom@lemuria.org>
To: gnome-gui-list@gnome.org <gnome-gui-list@gnome.org>
Date: Sunday, August 02, 1998 10:18 PM
Subject: Re: In support of Bowie


>Dan Kaminsky <effugas@best.com> wrote:
>> >you know my proposal. I would have a small number of categories and
>> >everything else user-configurable. I would propose "System", "Apps" and
>> >"Games" to be the default categories, given the fact that these are the
>> ONLY
>> >categories 90%+ people have at least one program in.
>>
>> Well, lets see what that would do to me.  I have on the order of...hurm,
5
>> SNMP apps, 3 telnet programs, 4 web browsers, five FTP programs, three
ping
>> apps, four websuckers, two tracerouters, and who knows how many other
>> miscellaneous applications that were also installed uncategorized.  Are
you
>> telling me that EVERY ONE of these should install straight to the System
or
>> Apps--
>
>no, I'm not. I'm telling you that if you're bright enough to figure out two
>dozen network tools, you should be able to click three buttons to  create
>your very own configuration about where to place these things.  :)


I *am* bright enough to figure out how to use network tools.

I am not willing to take the time, even in windows, to create a heirarchy
and bounce back and forth fixing windows' broken install.

I am an expert user and I've only done that ONCE, many years ago, and I'm
just not gonna do it again.  My system?  The last installed app is on the
bottom of the start menu, and anything else I just hit the first letter till
I get to the correct category.

I know TONS of users who do this.  You have to be an Expert User with TONS
of extra time to actually fix windows.

Much much much much much better to create a logical default config and a
runbox where you type Net and hit control-right arrow(because tab is already
used by "advance field") and Netscape comes up inside of its gnomeprint
heirarchy.  That's just *cleaner*.

(Of course, to keep the interface a Self Documenting one, whenever you
highlight something in the gnomeprint, its printpath, if you will, gets
inserted into the runbox.  The self-doc goes both ways by sheer fact that
the runbox would display the full printpath of the gnomeprint item)

OK:  How many X apps use control-alt keycombos?  We NEED to decide on some
default keybindings.  I do think we should ship with a Windows keytheme
being selectable, as well as Mac, NeXT, etc.  Lets be the first OS you can
really just sort of DITCH your present platform and jump into a new one
without having to change your keyboard habits.