Re: nautilus-list digest, Vol 1 #391 - 6 msgs

[August Mayer <august mayer gmx at>]

Hello,

Am Die, 2003-01-21 um 08.24 schrieb Rolf Kulemann:
> On Mon, 2003-01-20 at 18:00, nautilus-list-request gnome org wrote:
> > On 18 Jan 2003, Dave Camp wrote:
> > > I think the answer depends on whether we think symlinks are usually used
> > > as filesystem fixups or "bookmarks".  I'd want the new behavior for the
> > > former and the old for the latter.
> If you revert this, the following behavior - we described it a thousand
> times - will be possible:
> 
> Admin made a symlink to /home/user/tmp ->/mnt/tmp
> and /tmp ->/var/tmp
> If I cd to ~/tmp or /tmp in nautilus I will end up in / or /mnt if using
> the up key. So the user will get lost in the system fs :)

This is a "me too". Please think over this again. The way it works now
is broken and unexpected.

I think the main function of symlinks is to internally connect directory
trees in the file system, and to have a file in multiple locations. The
"jump to the destination" function for directory symlinks is a side
feature that interferes with the main function in this case and should
step back.

Several ideas for a solution:

* The not-solution would be to add a context menu command like "Go to
target", and an option "Always go to shortcut target directory" to the
options dialog, or to the gconf.

* Going to some specific directory can be accomplished by using the
shortcut menu or the new multiple-root-sidebar thing. This doesn't solve
the problem of "I have a nice project directory here with shortcuts to
all related things." But that's actually a side feature of symlinks, not
the main one, in my opinion.

* You could implement interfaces for both symlinks and shortcut files
(i.e. .desktop files). The drawback of .desktop files is that users can
be confused if nautilus asks them "Would you like to create a Link or a
Shortcut?". Also, programs don't know about .desktop symlinks. But they
are only for nautilus, ne?


thanks & greetings   August Mayer