Re: GNOME Usability Improvements - Fix the window manager!

[Alexander Volovics <awol xs4all nl>]

On 03-Aug-99 James M. Cape wrote:

> Matthias Warkus 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.

The kinds of yes-no discussions are pointless. 
There are as many tastes and opinions as there are people on earth.

Easy and intuitive is what you are used to!

If you grew up with Unix/Linux you would probably not give the `mount'
command a second thought.
And for users who do not have to work with cdroms professionally
it is surely no problem to `mount' the drive for the `once in a
month' occasion. Especially when you use a desktop icon or panel
drive-mount capplet. 
When more than one user shares a cdrom-drive at the same time mounted
drives are a necessity.
As long as it is all clearly documented and newbies warned beforehand.

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

If you are using RH/Mandrake 6.0 open linuxconf and take a look at the
configuration options of `Access local drive'.
The only problem again is that no newbie has a clear summary
of the things he/she can configure and change and where and how to do
this. 

Furthermore these things are basically Linux (or Linux distribution) and
not Gnome problems.
Though you can hide the "ugliness" from the user by putting a Gnome
screen around it. So the question becomes "how much of Linux should we
hide with Gnome" (or "prettify with Gnome"). And what part do the 
Linux distributions play in this. What part does the linuxconf project
play in this.

Alexander

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Alexander Volovics
Dept of Methodology & Statistics
Maastricht University, Maastricht, NL
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