Re: GNOME Usability Improvements - Fix the window manager!

[Ben Frantzdale <frantzdb admin arhs net>]

On Tue, 3 Aug 1999, jack wallen, jr wrote:

> On Tue, 3 Aug 1999, Alexander Volovics wrote:
> i was thinking about the mount command.  i have my mount set up so that
> all the devices are user mountable.  then, in my afterstep menus i have
> four entries:
> 
> Mount CD
> Mount Floppy
> Unmount DC
> Umount Floppy
> 
> these work perfectly.  and all i have to do is put them media in and click
> the menu entry.  why can this not be incorporated into the gnome menus?
> you have a mount directory which allows the user to select the medium or
> even add new ones (zip drives and the like).  

This is easy to set up, but the problem I've run into is what if I've got
an Eterm that is at /floppy and try to use mount or unmount my floppy...
The computer is less than happy :-(  I don't see why (from a UI
standpoint) there should be a problem. It is errors like this with
mounting and unmounting things that lead to confused and frusterated
users.

> 
> this would, at least, make it easier for the new user to get around...they
> wouldn't have to, at first, learn the mount command as such.
> 
> but we all know that new users eventually get curious ;-)
> 

Unfortunately, this is not always the case :-(

--Ben


>  > 
> > 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
> > 
> > *************************************
> > Alexander Volovics
> > Dept of Methodology & Statistics
> > Maastricht University, Maastricht, NL
> > *************************************
> > 
> > 
> > -- 
> >         FAQ: Frequently-Asked Questions at http://www.gnome.org/gnomefaq
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> > 
> > 
> 
> J   A   C   K      W   A   L   L   E   N,   J   R.       
> get jack'd @ techrepublic.com  get  L   I   N   U   X  or get lost 
>    
> -----
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> mean, isn't God everywhere?
> 
> 		-- Homer Simpson
> 		   Homer the Heretic
> 
> 
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