file dialogs as example

["gavin hurley" <gadge47 hotmail com>]

To my mind this debate highlights some important issues that extend beyond
simply the Open/Save dialog.

1) People care about this. People seem to spend enough time using and being
frustrated by Open/Save dialogs that they have a lot to contribute to the
discussion. This isn't surprising considering people usually use their
computers to open, edit and save files. And edting is the exclusive domain
of particular apps. Anyway, I bring this up because it seems fairly
important that we get this one right.

2) The task we're talking about is inherently difficult, if not impossible.
It's hard to design a single dialog that works well for both opening and
saving files, works for both the sophisticated and unsophisticated user, and
works in pretty much all applications. Raplacing what has always been a
single dialog with many may not be the most appealing prospect in the world
but I think any attempt to cram too much into a single dialog is going to
result in such a heavily compromised product that no one ends up happy.

3) Interface idioms have perhaps not keep up with the times. I'm going to do
a little hand-waving generalization here and say that the average computer
user now has /thousands/ more directories, files, and applications on their
computer than she did just 3 years ago.

Imagine a fire and our current Open/Save dialogs as squirt guns. Buiding a
really really good dialog is maybe like saying "we could fight this thing if
only we had a Super Soaker."



Eh hem. And returing to the realm of the practical: how 'bout a preview
pane? If someone already suggested this I appoligize (I must have missed
it).


-gsh