Usability: Keyboard & list, copy & paste

[Zakaria <zakmail telkom net>]

Hi,

I've been using gnome for about 3 months, so far so good but 
I think it need some improvement in these quirk (more features :)

The problem:

1. When I presented in a list box, usually files I have no *fast* way
   to selecting one of them with keyboard, I have to scroll down and
clicking 'em
   instead type the first name of the item (file name) with my keyboard
like Windows
   do :(

2. In linux (X in general) as you probably know to copy we select the
text and 
   to paste we middle click the mouse. It's a *great* feature but it's
has some 
   weakness, imagine that you want to copy path name
   (/pub/linux/X11/GNOME/binaries/redhat/RPMS/i386/ for example) to and
edit box
   in gftp. So you select the text and you go to gftp to paste it but
unfortunately 
   the edit box is already filled with another path. So there is only 3
(three) 
   choises that all is uncomportable (for me).
   (a) you clear the edit box by selecting the edit box content by mouse 
       and hit the delete and lose your previous copied text.
   (b) you clear the edit box by selecting the edit box and clear the
content by
       keyboard (shift arrow the delete) and paste it with mouse. That's
to many
       step (for me too :)
   (c) you paste the _clipboard_ in the begining of the edit box and
delete the         
       remaining text (the old one). This is to many step either.

The proposed solution:

1. Make the list widget (list box & combo box) response to keyboard when
they have
   the focus. Instead limiting to first letter the widget could make
this way :

   When first key pressed it search the list for item that has first
letter with
   that key if the item found the widget select the item and paint the
first letter
   with different color, when it's not found it beep the speaker (or
play sound
   if you have soundcard). When you press the next key it search the
list for item
   that have first two letter same with first + next key and select them
then paint
   the first two letter with different color too. It goes that way and
the backspace
   will work as usual (deleting the last key)

2. Have a context menu (left click menu) in every edit box and have one
of the menu
   to clear the edit as it function. Or have one of the menu to prevent
selecting
   as a way to copy as it function.

Or .... 
do you have a better idea to deal with my problem above?

Regards,




Zakaria <zak@telkom.net>
--
"I am a human so I have all the right to be wrong"