Re: File dialogs: Miscellaneous

["Michael T. Babcock" <mbabcock fibrespeed net>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Christian Rose" <menthos@menthos.com>


> "Michael T. Babcock" wrote:
> > 1) Name your files more appropriately by using your file manager and a
> > quick-view program on double-click.
>
> Eeeek... Are you serious?
> It sounds like you never actually used previewing of files (for example
> in the Gimp) and realized how useful, and essential, it can be.

I use them all the time.  My files are well catalogued using folders and
good names.  I link my files to multiple folders if they fit different
categories.  I use my filesystem as a well organised database.

> Take a digital camera - it obviously won't spit out file names with
> descriptive namings, unless it has some AI, which I doubt any digital
> cameras have today.

So you open them once, with previews, and rename them all.

> Should you have to open 100+ different pictures just to find the one
> you're interested in?

No, the first time, you should have them catalogued properly.  Otherwise,
use the functionality I mentioned of having something like Eazel's
previewing built-in as a plug-in (read my whole response, don't just respond
to #1).

> > 2) "Must" ... disagree.  Maybe in a context option or clicking on the
image
> > then on "Preview".
>
> See the "Use preview" checkbox option. Is that satisfactory?

See my other responses.

> > 3) If the 'directory+file browsing' window were implemented as I
suggested,
> > as a plug-in architechture shared with the file manager, plugins for the
> > file manager (like those shown by Eazel) would allow for a directory of
> > images to be shown as a gallery, with zoom levels or mp3's to be listed
with
> > their id3 tags shown.  There is no reason not to display this meta-data
as
> > part of the 'listing' just because we old-school people are used to
seeing
> >
> > -rw-r--r--    1 mbabcock mbabcock      61k Jul 11 02:04
cpq-rh61.patch.txt
>
> Yes, Nautilus capability of showing metadata in the file view is very
> attractive. I don't know how that would affect performerance for a
> simple file dialog though. Perhaps the default Zoom level for file
> dialogs should be set to 50% or so, to improve speed (I assume everybody
> here following discussion has tested the Nautilus preview release and
> how files are shown).

This replies to your strange reply to my #1.  My #1 was one case ... this is
the other.  They are both interactive ...

> I'm asking this question now, because it has to be asked some time:
> Do the want to mimic Nautilus file view? I don't mean exactly letting
> the file dialog being a complete Nautilus clone functionality-wise
> (horror) but merely borrow it's file view and "Zoom" paradigm in the
> file dialog.

No, we want to _use_ it as a bonobo component.  :-)