Re: Document vs. File menu (was Re: RGSG)

["Dan \"Effugas\" Kaminsky" <effugas best com>]

-----Original Message-----
From: John R Sheets <dusk@smsi-roman.com>
To: Dan Effugas Kaminsky <effugas@best.com>
Cc: gnome-gui-list@gnome.org <gnome-gui-list@gnome.org>
Date: Wednesday, August 05, 1998 8:56 AM
Subject: Document vs. File menu (was Re: RGSG)


>Dan Effugas Kaminsky wrote:
>>
>> >Well, if we force things like "Print" and "Page Setup" into the
>> >File menu, it'll always be a confusing compromise.  However, if
>> >we allow the flexibility of an alternately-named second menu, it
>> >would make better sense.  For example, in a word processor, you'd
>> >have Document->Print, and Document->Page Setup.  If you don't
>> >have a document, then you probably won't have pages to setup in
>> >the first place.
>> >
>> >John
>>
>> Uhm John you can print files without the file having a damn clue about
>> margin context or even that it's getting printed...you're outputting the
>> file or something about the file to printer...
>
>What does that have to do with anything?  That only serves to
>prove my point.
>
>You never print the file explicitly.  If you did, you'd get a raw
>stream of binary/hex digits.  You print a _representation_ of a
>file.  What you actually print is a conceptual interpretation of
>a file, as seen by the application.  If the application sees it
>as a document, you're printing a document.  If the application
>sees the file as a music score, you're printing a music score
>(and the command would go "Score->Print").
>
>If this does not address your intention, please be more clear.


Raw outputted to filter outputted to printer, just like default inputted
into the new file.

Score->Print?  So I guess we'd see Score->Transpose, Score->Quantize,
Score->Change Timing, and generally anything else that any other menu could
have...well, it makes logical sense.  You Quantize a Score, just like you
Print a Score, right?  And you Transpose a Score, just like you Open a
Score, right?  Forget about that I/O stuff, the user doesn't get it
anyway...

You said if you don't have a document, you won't have pages to set up.  Page
Setup exists *independantly* of outgoing files but is not called *without*
an outgoing file.  In other words, if you have no documents, you can set the
print margins to be used on the up and coming files even without any open.
And since Page Setup modifies Print, which is actually a file level
object(the file gets translated into printer language), Page Setup belongs
with Print in File.