Re: GNOME Usability Improvements - Fix the window manager!

["James M. Cape" <jcape jcinteractive com>]

Matthias Warkus wrote:
> 
> +++ Mon, Aug 02, 1999 at 02:54:53PM -0400 +++
> jack wallen, jr e-mails me. Film at 11. Reply right now, after the break.
>
> >       More simplistic mount/unmout of removable media
> 
> Same question: how much easier do you want it? You can use desktop
> icons or the mount applet.

I personally think that some sort of autofs configurator should be
coded, so new users never have to mess with the mount command.

> >       Better networking interface (akin, but better, than Network
> >               Neighborhood)
> 
> Hm. You know that gmc can do pretty much regarding networks?

Yes, and it is not friendly at all about it.

/#smb/server/share? /#smb//server/share? You tell me?

"smb://server/share" <-- follows the URL RFCs.
"ftp://server/dir"
"nfs://server/share"

Username/password prompting should be automatic if required. Also, some
sort of progress meter needs to be coded for these, as the status for
these networking activities is nearly non-existant.

> > UI:
> >
> >       Ability for normal user to edit menu entries
> 
> Impossible. The best thing we could do were to copy the entire
> system menu over to the home directory and have it edited there. But
> then upgrades to the system menu's wouldn't reach you any more.
> 
> >       Printer control in Control Center
> 
> Be more specific.

You know RedHat's Printtool? Create a control-center capplet WRT it.
This will require root permissions, so some way to access root will need
to be coded, possibly as a library, so every GNOME app can have secure
access to restricted settings and files.

> >       Preview button actually do something in Control Center's theme
> >               selector
> 
> Window manager issue. Let me guess, you use Enlightenment from CVS?
> It works fine for me with Window Maker. At least I think that's the
> reason.

That is *not* a window manager issue. That is a bug in this person's
Theme Selector. There is no reason Enlightenment from CVS (or
Enlightenment at all, or any window manager) should interfere with the
GTK+ Theme Selector's applying it's settings via the preview button.

And I use E CVS, and it works fine for me.

> > System:
> >
> >       Friendlier upgradability
> 
> Distribution issue.

GNOME needs an installer of the caliber of Internet Explorer 4/5. Coded
in xlib, it will check your distribution/package format, check with your
vendor for the latest versions, and go download and install the packages
you select.

The distributions are responsible for packaging up versions of GNOME
that will work with whatever else the ship. GNOME can pick up the slack
in it's absense.

And Mr. Warkus, try to be a little less curt WRT suggestions. Don't
shoot them down just because something exists already. Obviously, a
problem exists, otherwise the suggestion never would've been offered.

There is a way to change the global GTK+ Fonts with the Control Center,
but I've had 3 people already personally ask me to add this to the
wishlist. The ability is there, but a poor UI has stood in the way for
these people.

    Jim Cape
    http://www.jcinteractive.com

    "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them
     pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened."
        -- Winston Churchill