Re: PROPOSAL: UISG Menu Line Standardization

[Tim <hairball ibm net>]

Bowie Poag wrote:
> 
> The UISG currently proposes that the FULLY LOADED Menu Line appears as:
> 
>    Program | File | Edit | View | Options | Preferences | Help
> 
>  o Program, and Help are manditory items. (!)'marked.
> 
>  o File, Edit, and View are optional items. Some programs will
>    never need to load/save files, for example. Some programs
>    will never need to edit anything. Some programs will never need
>    to alter the user's view. (?)'marked.
> 
>  o View, Options, and Preferences are contingent items, present
>    only when required by the app. They are not manditory.
> 
>    Agree or disagree?
> 
> +--------------------------------------------------------------+
> | Bowie J. Poag  bjp@primenet.com  http://www.nubox.dyn.ml.org |
> | Sand and grit in a concrete base.                            |
> +--------------------------------------------------------------|

   For the most part, it looks ok to me.  I do think that 'Preferences'
should go under 'Program' and 'Options' should go under 'File'.  This
would definitively separate application-specific changes from those
which are related only to the document.  This would also serve to create
a consistent look-n-feel.  If an app has document-specific settings and
another does not; the 'Options' menu would not 'disappear' when moving
from one to the other.
   I'm on the wall as to whether 'Edit' should be required.  99.9% of
the time I would have to say yes.  Maybe I want to copy the image of a
won MineSweeper game without having to capture a complete screenshot and
cropping.  Maybe I want to select and copy the smiley-face reset button
and paste it into a document which I'm working on:  maybe even a help
document.:)
   I don't think the GnomePrint icon should be used as the Program menu
header.  I believe that it should be reserved for environment-wide
utilities:  color settings, panel placement, kill that offensive locked
application types of things.
-- 

Tim
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Oft-times it is easier to die for a cause than to live for one.
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