Re: Directory drill-down navigation; tabbing in spatial mode?

[Ryan McDougall <ryan mcdougall telusplanet net>]

On Sat, 2004-02-28 at 11:04 -0500, joturner wrote:
[snip]
> 
> A few solutions have already been mentioned:
> 
> * Keep the same window.  The OpenTracker approach was to put back/forward/up 
> buttons on the window.

This compromises the spatial metaphor. I'd rather go back to old
nautilus.

> 
> * Have an option to close the old window when a new one is opened.  This 
> option seems to have the same Fitt's distances as the current spatial view 
> without the ability to navigate to previous directories.  It does, however, 
> allow the user to automatically close windows so that windows or icons below 
> are not obscured.

This is currently possible by using the middle mouse button, however I
find it very unsatisfactory since metacity places the new window so that
it doesn't obscure the old window, even though the old window gets
unmapped. If the windows placement wasn't "broken" like this, then there
would be very little distance for the user's mouse to travel to the next
folder.

Also I would like to see an option to allow the user to map "open-new-
and-close-old" behaviour to the left mouse button. Its a FAR less
conceptual breakage than adding navigation buttons, and I think its one
of the best compromises.

> 
> * Keep spatial navigation the same, but offer a way to change the default 
> navigation to explorer-like navigation.  This doesn't fix spatial navigation, 
> but it does offer a way for users who do not wish to use to avoid it.

According to Alexander, this will be possible before 2.6 comes out.

> 
> These may have been mentioned before I joined, but I'll list them here 
> (apologies, I wish I knew who to give credit for for these)
> 
> * Use tabs, and create new ones during drill-down.  This would work well until 
> the number of tabs became too many and Fitt's Law began to break down.  Too 
> many tabs, also, would be cumbersome and easy to lose track of.
> 
> * Create new tabs by request of the user.  This may suit a more advanced user, 
> but a user unaccustomed to this type of customized navigation would not be 
> able to navigate backwards through previous folders.

I actually like this idea. Strictly speaking it doesn't break the
spatial metaphor, since each tab maps one-one to a directory, but it
saves some of the window management + Fitts law headache by grouping all
the windows together.

Short of a change to metacity to support tabbing, this is the best way
to go AFAIC.

> 
> * Instead of tabs, create a back-stepping list on the side, a "history" of 
> previously visited directories.  This would remove the back/forward/up 
> buttons, but it adds another element that the user would have to understand.

This would either be a separate window, thus contributing to the
problem, or it would be attached to all windows, thus wasting a large
amount of screen space.

> 
> * Add keyboard accelerators to jump back and forth between open spacial 
> folders.  This is an advanced user activity, but it does solve the Fitt's Law 
> distance, assuming, that is, that there aren't more than a handful of open 
> spacial folder windows open.
> 
> I'm sure there are other solutions as well, each with their own set of 
> benefits and drawbacks.
> 
> One thing is for sure, though, spacial navigation in Nautilus in its current 
> form has been attempted by Microsoft and BeOS, and both have since moved to a 
> single-window drill-down.  For some users the single-window approach is more 
> comfortable, and from a Fitt's Law standpoint, it is more compliant.  This 
> doesn't mean the spatial navigation should be made more complicated to 
> compensate, but a simple solution should be found and applied, something that 
> is easy for the new user to learn while maintaining usability for the more 
> advanced user (as well as the user that uses the computer for long periods of 
> time where Fitt's Law plays a big part).

I agree that we cannot ignore what has happened to past file managers,
nor can we ignore the reasons why they failed. I also agree that we have
a change to fix the problems that caused people to abandon spatial
navigation, and that we can do so.

> 
> Jonathan

Thanks for the intelligent comments Jonathan. Specifically I think that
to save ourselves from "window explosion" and the window management and
Fitts law problems that entails, either Metacity needs to tabbing/
grouping of windows, or Nautilus needs to independently tab/group its
own windows.

Also I consider "open-new-and-close-old" behaviour broken if the new
window gets placed significantly far away from where the mouse is
currently pointing. Ideally the new window would get placed right
underneath the mouse.

Cheers,
Ryan