[gnome-love] RFC: Time Pass Ideas

[BVK <bvk groups gmail com>]

I was looking at Document-Centric-Gnome slides, and it triggered me a
new idea to manage files in a Computer.  Though it doesn't suit for
everybody's needs, I wanted to post it here so that it doesn't get
lost.  BTW, I do not have much GNOME development skills so I am not in
anyway promising anything for you; interested developers can take it
further :-)

The Problem

Currently all desktops (including Mac OS X) impose a _structure_ on
the way users store their files.  This structure is unnatural and is
called folders or directories.  I would say many users who use
computers don't know _why_ that structure is _necessary_.  This tree
like folder structure is developed not to solve users' problem but to
solve file systems' problem.  Its like an efficient data structure.
Currently users have to _understand_ it before they can effectively
store any files on the computer.  This is very unfortunate; users
shouldn't understand the underpinnings of a system to use it
effectively.

What the system should provide to users is, a very _natural_ way to
locate their file.  I was thinking in these lines and came up with
this thought.

The Idea

What is _natural_ for most of the users?  Imagine you are a guy who
doesn't use computer at all, how do you manage your stuff?  How do you
listen to music?  How do you watch movies?  How do you read books?
How do you write your dairy?  These are the kind of things that people
used to do before computers exists, and how they did it is what i
consider as _natural_.  All the elements there, like music, movies,
pictures, notes, etc. now became computer files.  So, if the system
can somehow provide similar environment for them then, I guess, users
would feel right at home (No Proofs Yet).

So what should the system provide for this?

System should provide an _additional_ living-room for their users
where they can store their files.  This will be most natural for the
users (Guess Work.)

When users open their home icon it should provide a nice living-room
picture (or quake-like room with proper textures) instead of window
with folders like movies, music, etc.  This living room should contain
regular devices that you see in our houses, like TV, Music system,
Bookshelf, etc. and each of them should be kind-of where users can
keep their files.

As everyone lives in a house these are natural stuff they work with in
their non-computers life.  Each of these items should selectable and
when users selects a TV, the TV should get closer and view should move
on to top-side of TV surface, where thumbnails of all the files
(usually movies) that are scattered by that user.

When user wants to save/open a file the same living-room should be
displayed with almost same semantics as the home window.  We expect
the users to save their movies near their TV, music near their Music
System, etc.  There could be a place like desk where all unorganized
files go.

Fun Stuff

The way we present the living room could matter a lot.  We could have
complete living-room like experience by providing quake-like moving
behavior within the window.  We can have multiple rooms with doors
where user can walk inside like in quake again.  We can have separate
tool to layout the items in the room as the user sees it fit.

We could have a safe in the living-room, when the user selects, it
should ask for password, etc.

User could save his porn under the TV or some hidden places like that ;-)

and a lot more are possible :-)


--
bvk-chaitanya