My GUI opinions

["yiyus" <jg_yiyus jet es>]

>>  3: Save all changes in a special area, then exit. On a restart
>>     ask whether user wants to continue working with his last
>>     state or discard all unsaved work.
>>     (Note the quick safe should not overwrite the current file,
>>      so that discarding is still possible)


I like this idea very much. You should have other option more: Ask the next
time. And in the foot menu: Save and exit.

>A step further would be to allow specific menu items to be
>locally added to the User menus, items that wouldn't show up in
>other applications.  This would mean that the User menu would
>have to be configurable from a global scope (probably the Panel),
>as well as from a local scope (from the app's foot menu).
>
>The User menu would allow users to run common command line
>operations from a menu.  For example, if the user had a special
>directory for his text documents, he could create a global
>"User->Open Documents Folder" item that brings up mc pointing at
>that directory.  In a word processor, the user could add a local
>entry, "User->Open as HTML", which would open up a given file
>(the current file?) in, say, Navigator.  You could edit the raw
>HTML in the editor and pull it up in a separate viewer to
>cross-check it.  I'm sure there are many other, better, examples
>out there.
>

I like this too. A very good feature.

>[Stuff about key-bindings and menu]

I think this isn't so difficult. with Alt you go to the foot menu. With
Alt+the underline letter you go to other menu. With Ctrl+A letter you
execute a command in a menu (withouth open it). If you open a menu with Alt
you can navigate by the menu bar with the cursor keys and enter. About
key-bindings for commands, I liked the Dam's idea of the Key-Box.

>[Stuff about help menu]

I agree with you that it should be put in the Foot menu. But there is a
little problem, the new users need it from the first moment, and it should
be more accesible being an higher level menu. Why not put on right (right
aligned) a icon with an ? to expand the help menu? So, you would have this
menu:

_____________________________________________________
| | 8' |  Document  Edit View
?  |
=====================================================
|  About...            |
|  Help              > |
|----------------------|
|  Options         > |
|  Screenplays > |
|----------------------|
|  Save and exit  |
|  Exit                   |
-----------------------

Of course the ?, is a yellow big icon, no a text character. (Edit and View
aren't neccesary, this is an example. You know). And I said the footmenu
must be configurable, this isn't very difficult, use an icon named
footmenu.xpm and make a symlink with any other you prefer.

>I think one of the things that needs to be in the style guide is whether
>we "quit" or "exit" or "close" an application.

IMHO, in the foot menu we put exit (or quit if you prefer, as I am Spanish I
will always use 'Salir') and in the File menu we use 'Close document'. And
don't think too much where to put the Exit command. In the file menu it
doesn't fit, and it is good in the Footmenu, but about everybody will use
the window manager to do this.

>Plugable Window Interface (Re:MDI)

Refering to this idea from Philipp Meier I have some opinions. I like more
"floating windows", but in some cases this could be a very good idea. For
example, using the Gimp,you would have everything more tidy. I think you
should propos this to the Gnome development team, because probably it would
require some WM hints to be useful, really, it is more a WM implementation
which need some hints.

>Proposal for Button Application Interface and others from Gleef

Generally, I agree with you in this (though we should discuss some details,
suchs as where to place the Exit button). I like too your idea about the
PopUp Menu Application Interface, whith all that options which you say.
Definitively, for lots of aplications this is the best solution, and must be
considered.

--------

Ok, long mail. I only wanted to give my opinion in some aspects of the
actual discussion. So, you can count with my "vote" in some things.

- yiyus


PS: I'm sorry. I am using Windows to do this :-( , which I am not used to,
and some mails which I sent where receibed by their authors and by the list,
both times.