Re: Major change in desktop handling

[Darryl Rees <rees netnam vn>]

Dave Camp wrote:

> So if you use $HOME as the desktop, you are forcing system-managed files
> to be on the desktop (even if they are hidden by default).  This doesn't
> make any sense - if a user turns on 'Show Hidden Files', they don't want
> their desktop cluttered with a bunch of system-managed files.
>  
OK. But surely hidden files are meant to be hidden? If you want to have 
some of your hidden files 'visible' then you're introducing a whole 
wierd ontology of hiddenness. There must be a better way.

OTOH, trying to rationalize a _semantic difference_ for ~ and ~/Desktop 
seems kind of artificial. They are both a 'HOME' directory in some 
sense. Just the fact that you need to put reflexive links between them 
should indicate something.

> .gnome-desktop was a pain to use as a document directory, because file
> selectors defaulted to $HOME, and you couldn't get to ~/.gnome-desktop
> without knowing where to go and typing it in.  Using ~/Desktop improves
> that.  Making file selectors default to ~/Desktop will improve it
> further, in keeping with the idea of the desktop as a place for
> user-managed files.
>
> -dave
The premises in this paragraph almost sounds like you're arguing for 
$HOME, but then you reached the wrong conclusion :-). OK, sorry I'm 
being a total dick.

Seriously, how are the files in $HOME not user-managed? Are you saying 
that $HOME is for system files, ~/Desktop is for all user files? That 
just seems the wrong way around for me, and maybe that is the heart of 
the matter.

I just feel $HOME as desktop makes the desktop metaphor conceptually 
simpler and cleaner, sorry to harp on.

Also want to thank Alexander Larson for those latest patches - they seem 
like a really great step forward, regardless of this issue. Thanks Alex.

Cheers,
Long