Re: volumes mark 2

[Jeff Waugh <jdub perkypants org>]

<quote who="Alexander Larsson">

> I'd like to propose we use a model that Dave calls desktop-as-home. In
> this model all the files the user normally handles (written documents,
> downloaded files, etc) are stored inside the desktop (typically in
> subdirectories reachable directly from the desktop), much as if the
> desktop were the actual homedir.
> 
> There would be no home icon on the desktop, and the file selector and
> other things should default to the Desktop for loading and saving files.
> (Technically this is easily accomplished by starting apps with ~/Desktop
> as the current working directory.)

A very thorough -1.

This sounds like a cheap way of getting out of any responsibility for
handling the home directory sanely (and fixing bugs in other software that
doesn't), and overloads the concept of the Desktop directory. I'm really
grasping at straws to figure out why this proposal has any advantages at
all. It basically transfers some of the problems of home-as-desktop to the
Desktop directory. Why would we do that?

Windows doesn't do this. It has a settings directory for users, which
contains Desktop and My Documents, which are generally referred to magically
(non-file links on the desktop, buttons in the file selector, etc).

Mac OS X doesn't do this. It has a homedir and skel-generated folders
underneath, such as Documents, Music, Movies and Desktop.

So, user's brain time. Assume their interactions with things like file
selectors and browsers start in Home - because anything we don't control
*will* default to Home (because that is the directory of most importance to
users on *nix systems).

"Where are my documents?"

  Home -> Desktop -> Documents ... or ... Home -> Documents

Why would you look in Desktop for your Documents? Okay, so the proposal says
we should default to Desktop. Why are we ignoring Home? Why would we want
all of our crap on the Desktop, one of the big problems with home-as-desktop

I really don't grok this. I suggest we have Desktop where magic icons live
(devices, etc), where files are downloaded and where users can keep stuff
they want to access quickly. We keep Home as the traditional place-of-most
importance, and consider having a GNOME skels system which would create
directories like Documents by default on first login (and so that admins can
add and remove stuff should they need to).

- Jeff

-- 
linux.conf.au 2004: Adelaide, Australia         http://lca2004.linux.org.au/
 
   "The aim of the release process is to finish software, not to develop
                         it..." - Havoc Pennington