Re: [Usability]Re: Killing views [Was: Dealing with files in Gnome]

[Roberto Rosselli Del Turco <rosselli ling unipi it>]

Jens Finke wrote:
> On Wed, 2 Apr 2003, Jeff Waugh wrote:
>
> > > So are you saying that we should eliminate the simple text and image
> > > viewer in nautilus? If so, which applications do you want to replace them
> > > with?
> >
> > I strongly agree that in-window per-file views [1] are confusing and largely
> > silly.
>
>
> I strongly disagree. Why are these file views silly? Actually, if I double
> click for example on an image I expect to see it. IMO the nautilus views
> are the easiest way for this task. The user isn't confrontated with
> another user interface, just continues to use the interface he is used to
> (nautilus).
>
>
> > An good alternative is to build the preview application, discussed
> > previously in regards to gpdf/ggv/eog, and use it for all Nautilus per-file
> > view use. The Abiword preview component could sit nicely it, etc. This app
> > could also provide a plug-in to the next-gen file selector to show previews
> > for every file type it knows about.

Apart from the simple fact that using the same UI for both file managing 
and file viewing tasks is inherently confusing (as it has been mentioned 
in other parts of this thread), viewing images or docs in the same 
window used for navigating directories and file managing operations 
*slows you down horribly*. Suppose you're browsing half a dozen images 
to pick the best one to put in your web site: if you're using Nautilus 
to do this you have to open each one in the same window that shows the 
directory contents, then study it closely, then go back, then open 
another one, and so on; it's even worse if the files are spread in 
different directories. If you just click on a file and that file is 
opened in an external viewer, you can do both operations (directory 
navigation and file browsing/comparing) at the same time.

> What is the exact benfit of it? I hardly see a difference to our current
> approach. Beside the fact, that this general viewer doesn't exist yet in
> contrast to the generic NautilusViews.

I think that it wouldn't be too difficult to create such a general 
viewer: look at the exchange between Alexander Larsson and Martin 
Savior. An Abiword-based viewer for text files looks like a logical 
solution to me, the idea can be expanded to image, pdf etc. files.

Ciao

--
Roberto Rosselli Del Turco      e-mail:	rosselli at cisi.unito.it
Dipartimento di Scienze			rosselli at ling.unipi.it
del Linguaggio			Then spoke the thunder	DA
Universita' di Torino		Datta: what have we given?  (TSE)

  Hige sceal the heardra,     heorte the cenre,
  mod sceal the mare,       the ure maegen litlath.  (Maldon 312-3)