Re: Testing & A Suggestion :)

[Alan <alan ufies org>]

On 24-Nov-2000 Alan Shutko wrote:
> "Blad, John Erling" <john erling blad aftenposten no> writes:
> 
>> How does the number of applications compare to the number of
>> document types? That is, which menu structure will be smallest?
> 
> Probably apps.  When you consider the number of image formats alone,
> you get a list not much smaller than the current app menu (in a helix
> max install).  Add in sound formats and common text formats... it gets
> _huge_ fast.

But you are not using a different app to edit every image format, or every doc
format, are you?  I'd say that 99% of my image editing is done in gimp.  I
don't really do docs, but lets say I did, probably most of that would be in
abiword or staroffice.  I'm willing to guess that sound processing has multiple
apps but not one per format (for the common man anyway).

If you do all your .gifs in gimp and all your .jpgs in gpaint (or whatever),
then why not have two entries, one for create new in gimp, and one for create
new in gpaint.  

To expand upon the original drawing:
                  
                 +-----------------------+
                 | Add new...            |
                 |-----------------------|
                 | Document (staroffice) |
+---------------+| Document (abiword)    |
| hit.vaw       || Sound (xwave)         |
| home.png      || Sound (waveforge)     |
| Thesis.tex    || Image (gimp)          |
|---------------|| Image (gpaint)        |
| Programs    > || Texts                 |
|---------------|| Spreadsheet           |
| New         > || Terminal              |
+---------------++-----------------------+
[Start]

The programs entry would be the standard gnome app list so that if a new doc is
not what you want, you can just open a program just like now.  Actually it
would probably be better to put this inline as it is now (or it's an option
isn't it?).  Whatever :)

New documents that have multiple options would have the program name beside
them, so that if you did like to do images or docs in multiple programs, and
wanted that program to be in the "new" menu, you could have that option.  

In a way I can see the new menu becoming a bit like the favorites is now,
except document oriented.  I can also (upon reflection) see how this could
easily get big if people just went nuts.  I'd like to put things like: new
browser (galeon), new browser (netscape), new browser (mozilla), new editor
(vim), new editor (xemacs)... and so on.  This is where it's the users job. 
The default gnome install puts in 5-10 document types by default.  Say:
image
sound
textfile
document
spreadsheet
browser
terminal (because this is what I use most :)

If the user wants to add everything under the sun, they have every right to.

IIRC the original post's intention was to remove the applications tree
completely and go document-centric.  I don't think that this is an idea because
there are a lot of programs that are not document-centric (xmms, gnomecc) which
people run on a daily basis.  

alan

-- 
Alan Bailward -=><=- <alan ufies org> -=><=-http://arcterex.net
Happiness isn't something you experience; it's something you remember.
                -- Oscar Levant