Re: GNOME Usability Improvements - Fix the window manager!

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

Ben Frantzdale wrote:
> 
> > >
> > > >       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.
> >
> 
> [at the risk of opening up an old discussion...]
> 
> Mac, Windows, etc. Users asume that a disk in the drive means that the
> computer knows about it. pull it out and the computer doesn't. I know that
> untill removeable media is that transparent, most people won't use
> Gnome/Linux
> 
> --Ben

Most users period, not just Windows and Mac users. And what is the first
question that comes to a new user's mind when they reliaze they have to
run "mount /mnt/mountpoint" (or whatever)?

"Well that's dumb. Why can't the computer tell when there's a disk in
the drive? That other one does."

Autofs is the salvation to this problem, but some sort of
autoconfigurator (and a manual configurator to fix any problems the
autoconfigurator introduces/misses) is needed to eleviate the user's
need to think about this.

For those that disagree, remember, the Computer exists to serve the
Human, not the other way around (as most of us geeks are used to,
unfortunately).

    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