Re: Menu Premise (was Re: tmfkap, File, &c)

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

-----Original Message-----
From: Ric Klaren <ia_ric@cs.utwente.nl>
To: Michael Poole <poole@graviton.res.cmu.edu>; Scott Goehring
<scott@poverty.bloomington.in.us>
Cc: dusk@smsi-roman.com <dusk@smsi-roman.com>; gnome-gui-list@gnome.org
<gnome-gui-list@gnome.org>
Date: Friday, August 07, 1998 2:07 AM
Subject: Re: Menu Premise (was Re: tmfkap, File, &c)


On Thu, Aug 06, 1998 at 04:43:17PM -0400, Michael Poole wrote:
> > This is an interesting idea, but it would double the work for
> > programmers (we'd have to assign each menu item to two different menu
> > placements, instead of just one).  Don't count on compliance. :)
>
>     I really doubt it would be twice the work; from my (rather simple)
> UI-heavy programs, writing another menu layout would only increase code
> size by about 20%, and probably make sure that I wasn't duplicating
> code more than I should be :)

>I have to agree with Michael. Even stronger it sometimes take hardly no
>effort. If I look at my experience with GEM on the old ataris. Making a new
>layout is just starting you gui designer (Resource Editor) create a new
>.rsc file with other menu layout and if need be other dialog layout and
>loading it into the app. But.. alas GTK isn't GEM...


Quick comment...

Dude, coders aren't going to make two menus.  Can you imagine documenting
such a thing?!?

Anyway, scope based and task based literally demand different families of
menu contents.  You wouldn't be able to just move 'em around.

This is one of those things that isn't going to happen, IMHO.  That sounds a
bit inflammatory, but...well, lets look at it like this.  I'm looking at the
menus of Micro$oft Outlook Express right now.  I can't, without sitting
down, writing everything out, and thinking of the inherent scope of each
menu item decide on a scope-based menuing system for this app.

Coders aren't going to do this work.  I, just thinking about it, can't
really think how they would.

*NOW*, if we want to have something like Menuthemes, which create alternate
contexts and orders for menu contents, that's a different story!  Then, the
coder codes as normal, and the psycho user(grin) who likes scope based gets
his or her wish.

I mean, if we're already saying sysadmins should be able to disable menu
items(preferences on netscape *ahem*) and whole menus, why not add stuff?