Re: Some things I think GNOME should improve

[Adam Tauno Williams <awilliam whitemice org>]

On Wed, 2013-04-10 at 14:23 +0200, Les Paul wrote:
> 2013/4/3 Trond Husø <tr-huso online no>:
> Very, very few users are using "help" and "settings" option. Gnome
> Shell has included both on a list on the title bar, that makes that
> the field "Exit" changes its position from one application to another
> (which is an option used by 100% of the users). For example, "Exit" in
> Nautilus 3.6 is the 8th option, the 2nd option in Font Viewer, the 7th
> in Gnome Documents and the 1st one on all non-gnome applications. You
> can solve it just moving these to a general application, and
> redistributing the rest of the options.

I'm sorry, I just don't get it.  I can click the X, I can File->Close, I
can keystroke window close.

> You can see how iOS or Android applications are evolving. 

Yes, and those are not desktop platforms.  What is good on one platforms
does not necessarily transfer to another - they server different
purposes.  Desktops are for content *creators* while tablets are for
content *consumers*.

> Options are hidden, and it isn't neccesary a help option.

No, it is often awfully horribly painful to find under what menu-button,
press-and-hold-widget, etc... some option is ***buried*** on a tablet
application.

> They are made to be self-explanatory, and complexity is hidden to the
> common user.

That may be their goal;  I do not necessarily accept that they succeed.

> Do you need a manual attached to your DVD player permanently?

No, it plays DVDs.  That is in no useful way equivalent to a desktop.

Every day I sit down at my desktop first to discover what kinds of
problems I will have to solve today.  The DVD player solves one and only
one problem - and it is a *consumption* oriented problem.  I'm sitting
at my desktop *producing* something.  Entirely different domain,  your
analogy is specious.


-- 
Adam Tauno Williams <awilliam whitemice org>