Re: Drag and drop is dead, long live drab and throw :)

[Michael ROGERS <M Rogers cs ucl ac uk>]

>	How about this :
>
>	I want to organize icons using throwing, what do I do? 
>
>	1) open 1 or more "black hole"'s objects. Once there is one or more
>black holes open the drag operations with icons are interpreted as a
>throw not a a drop anymore.

Perhaps you could say, if a drag ends on a valid drop target it's a drag; if
it ends anywhere else it's a throw, and it continues to travel in the same
direction, gradually slowing down.

>Each black hole has a event orizon that
>would decide if the icon fell in the black hole or not.
>
>	2) I start  thowing icon into the balck holes I opened, when I finished
>I could drag the black hole and drop it into a folder/desktop icon or
>what-ever and it would send all files that he swallowed into the folder
>and close it self.  Once all black holes are actualy used, the operation
>resumes to normal.

I can't help thinking it would be easier to just have a better selection
mechanism (ie non-rectangular selection areas, middle mouse button adds to
the selection without clearing it). The operation you described could then
be performed by drawing a lasso around the files and dragging the selection, 
or middle-clicking each in turn and dragging the selection.

Maybe there is a use for grab and throw, but I don't think this is it.


Michael Rogers