Re: Gnome 2.6: What were you thinking?



Perhaps this might start it:

<h1>Why the hell does GNOME open each folder in its own window?</h1>

Short answer:

It's by design.  And it's better.

Long, perhaps longish, answer:

Whenever people use computers, they mainly manipulate things on your
screen.  Software (more accurately, interface) designers have found that
one of the best ways to get people to use computers and be productive is
to <i>mimic the real life</i>, in other words, to apply metaphors from
the real life to what you see on the screen.  This is why you hear words
as "Home folder" or "Desktop".

In regard to files and folders, interface designers found people had an
easier time understanding each folder as a separate collection of
documents (and folders, albeit that distinction is harder to
understand).

Despite that, modern operating systems give you a "browser" interface to
navigate around your files: that is, you click on a folder, and the
contents of the window change to show that folder.  Suffice it to say,
people get lost and find navigating for files hard, because looking for
files is an entirely different operation than browsing the Web (your
brain works differently while you're at it).

In this regard, GNOME has taken a very good idea from the Mac OS
operating system and other graphical environments, and made the "folder"
into the "window".  This has big implications:

* Each folder you open *always* opens in the same exact location and
with the same size
* Each folder unequivocally opens in its own window, just like files do
as well
* There is much less screen clutter, less toolbars, less screen estate
devoted to controls, and more screen for your files
* Dragging files around and dropping them becomes much easier
* Looking for files and getting to them is *faster*

Once you get used to it (which can take up to a week), you'll discover
you work faster.  Things you used to think about will become automatic,
and you will lose less time trying to get things done.  The work
environment will feel "just right".

Here's a "cheat-sheet" that will help you get up to speed in using the
keyboard (you probably know by now that using the keyboard is also
faster than using only the mouse):

(include ten most frequently used key shortcuts for Nautilus)


Good day, and happy browsing!





El mar, 11-05-2004 a las 17:12, Andy Ross escribió:




> On a (slightly) more constructive note, would it perhaps be a good
> idea for someone to write a whitepaper on "Spatial Navigation for the
> Myopic and Stubborn" and post it somewhere obvious on the Gnome site?
> It could start with an explanation about how to create a launcher that
> opens a Nautilus in browser mode before going on to explain usability
> issues.
> 
> Andy
> _______________________________________________
> gnome-devel-list mailing list
> gnome-devel-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-devel-list
-- 
	Manuel Amador (Rudd-O)
	GPG key ID: 0xC1033CAD at keyserver.net

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