[Usability]File renaming/extensions/GNOME discussions

[Knud Heinrichs <sakrelaba web de>]

Hello,
on Tue, 2002-08-20 at 18:23, Daniel Borgmann wrote:
As you already said, Windows shows file extensions for many files anyway
(I think it shows it for everything but a selected few but not sure,
didn't use it long). Now think about it, in Unix we are already used to
not give our binaries and textfiles silly .exe or .txt extensions. Where
is the big difference? The only big difference I see is that in Windows,
multimedia/archive files also show no extension. Like image and music
files.
But for those, the extensions shows a very important information: The
codec that was used to create the file and that is needed to open it.
Maybe this case could be handled differently, not showing the file
ending but the codec on the icon (dynamically so we aren't screwed when
an icon is missing) or whatever.

The problem, as I understood it from Tue, 2002-08-20 at 17:37, Daniel Borgmann(Of course it 

is, but things are completely different on Windows (can't talk about OS X). First and 

foremost, every file has an extension, it's not optional. If you save a textfile as README.it, 

it will actually be saved as README.it.txt. Also extensions are always single and they are 

always used to determine the filetype, never to actually be an informative part of the name. 

That's why hiding them makes perfect sense in a DOS world, but to make this usefull in a Unix 

world, you would have to do the same, forcing file extensions on every file (also special 

cases like tar.gz would have to be taken care of) and I believe that's exactly the
opposite of your intention. ;))is that when all files need to be hide in Unix all Unix-files 

have to have an extension.

Is it possible to just give the multimedia-files, for which the codec is an important 

information, an extension? There wouldnīt be a need to hide the extensions of the 

non-multimedia-files, with the need to give all the files an extension, but to just give the 

multimedia-files an extension. Could this be reached by an automatical program code, which 

says that all multimedia-files should have an extension or manually everytime a multimedia 

file is created there is an option to give it an extension.

I think the variation with the codec be shown in the icon would be more elegant, possibly with 

just one letter(for example Freenet.de Super, the provider with which Iīm surfing in the 

Internet uses a grey icon with a lighter grey S in the darker grey and a thin red line running 

through the S). It would suggest, that all multimedia-files of a certain kind are programmed 

with an certain icon, which expresses its codec.

This afternoon I imagined whether it would be possible of more people discussing about GNOME 

than now are doing. I donīt understand much about informatics, but I understood what you were 

discussing at the 18th/19th of august 2002, whether all functions(even setting the clock in 

GNOME)do need a root status. Iīd like to create a website where I would describe what is 

discussed in the GNOME usability mailing list[I could also describe what is discussed at the 

GNU project, or at opencores(where they create hardware with open software principles)or at 

the OSCar Project(where they create a car with open software principles)], or I could publish 

the texts of the mails of the GNOME usability mailing list directly(possibly in the original 

or/and translated into German). People visiting the website would read the themes or the texts 

of the discussion and would write their opinion about it(for example some people possibly 

could have an opinion whether all functions of GNOME, even setting the clock, would need a 

root user). Maybe itīs even possible to describe how to compose your own Linux(I myself bought 

a SuSe Linux package because I donīt know what parts I need to compose my own linux), and 

links for "download gnome" and "download y", "download z" for the parts you have to have to 

run linux on your pc. After downloading all the parts even more people could join linux and 

the discussions.

I could translate the opinions of the people into english(at least from german to english, for 

other languages I would have to use translations programs like babelfish)and Iīd like to bring 

these opinions in the GNOME usability mailing list. Many people writing opinions on a website 

would bring more ideas into the GNOME usability mailing list than a single person could 

joining the maling list.

I donīt know what the rest of the website should look like. I would like to create a website, 

which enables many people to join the discussion. I donīt know how this could be possible, 

with a website with the themes of the discussion, or to make this website public(without 

commmercial advertisements)(in search engines?). I like colourful pictures and I like it 

humane, and thatīs why I imagined a website like this this afternoon(I hope itīs not to 

ideological): It should be a website where a humane society looks possible(thoughts about 

having possibilities and making something possible I read in the book "Das Prinzip Hoffnung"[I 

would the title tranlate this way: "The principle hope"](Frankfurt am Main:Suhrkamp 1959)of 

the philosopher Ernst Bloch). I also like the colourful pictures and humanism of the "Star 

Trek"-series. With the new series "Enterprise" I like the credit titles and the song["Itīs 

been a long road gettinī from there to here, itīs been a long time but my time is finally 

near. I will see my dream come alive at last. I will touch the sky and youīre not gonna hold 

me down no more, no, youīre not gonna change my mind, īcos Iīve got faith of the heart, Iīm 

going where my heart will take me, Iīve got faith to believe, I can do anything, Iīve got 

strength of the soul, no oneīs gonna fend or break me, I can reach any star, Iīve got faith, 

Iīve got faith, faith of the heart."[In: "Enterprise. Aufbruch ins Unbekannte[pilot "Broken 

Bow"]". Los Angeles: Paramount Pictures Corporation. Theme by Diane Warren. Performed by 

Russell Watson. 2001]. The music is great, but I donīt like some notions like "strength", 

because they donīt show how human beings can work at a humane society, but theyīre just 

spreading words people can believe in. I like the pictures of the credit titles(especially 

Charles Lindbergh, the sea charts deceived over the pictures of human beings on a ship, 

astronauts,...). But I wouldnīt like to use the song or the pictures of the series 

"Enterprise", because the series was broadcasted specially into the aircraft-carrier U.S.S. 

Enterprise coming back from the war in Afghanistan. Later three soldiers, which are nominated 

as "sailors of the year" by the US-Navy appeared in the "Enterprise"-episode "Desert Crossing" 

and the "Enterprise"-executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga thanked them personally 

for the engagement of the real U.S.S. Enterprise in the fight against terrorism[the last two 

events has been reported in the sci-fi magazine "Space View"(no. 3/2002, may/june 2002, 

Königswinter: Heel Verlag GmbH 2002, p. 10)]. Human beings have been murdered in Afghanistan 

and I donīt like that people being in the war in Afghanistan are honored by the Star Trek 

producers.

The theme mentioned before, making a humane society possible, should be on the website in some 

other way. Ernst Bloch wrote in "Das Prinzip Hoffnung" that it isnīt that important to search 

for better worlds in space among the stars, but to work for a humane society here and now("The 

distant blinking lights let human beings to look above first, the sky with stars is a 

prototype of peace, eminence, serenity, but on earth this picture is a task and an aim - hic 

Rhodus, hic salta, here is the dome, go up here." ["Das Prinzip Hoffnung", a.a.O., p. 918, my 

translation]. Hic Rhodus, hic salta said a man to another man, because the second man said 

that he want to jump into the air in Rhodos, and the first man said to him that Rhodos is here 

and that he can jump now. I doesnīt have to look at the stars and dream of a better, more 

humane world, a better future, but I take part in the GNOME usability mailing list with other 

human beings here and now, other human beings take part in the GNU project or/and at 

Oekonux(the principles of open software in non-digital areas such as opencores or the 

OSCar-project). I would use the "making possible a humane society" in this Bloch-sense. I 

thought of the song "Imagine" by John Lennon["imagine thereīs no heaven, itīs easy if you try, 

no hell below us, above us only sky, imagine all the people, living for today...imagine 

thereīs no countries it isnīt hard to do nothing to kill or die for no religion too imagine 

all the people living life in peace...imagine no possessions i wonder if you can no need for 

greed or hunger a brotherhood of man imagine all the people sharing all the world...you may 

say iīm a dreamer but iīm not the only one i hope someday youīll join us and the world will be 

as one."("Imagine" by John Lennon, EMI Records Ltd. 1971, song no. 1). So I thought of the 

line "Hereīs no heaven, jump now" for my website. I could connect texts with pictures like it 

is done in the "Enterprise"-credit titles, but in a humane way - the text of the manifesto of 

the communistic party(written 1847 and published 1848 by the philosopher and politicians Karl 

Marx and Friedrich Engels)with pictures of demonstrating workers, the student leader Rudi 

Dutschke at a blackboard with demonstrating people at the end of the 1960s, the murdered human 

being at the demonstration in Genua 2001 with demonstrating people today, but also humane 

alternatives - pictures of the businessman and social reformer Robert Owen and his humane 

settlements at the begin of 19th century, the text of the GNU Manifesto with pictures of Linux 

on a PC. This mixture of pictures and documents could be at the rest of the website. Possibly 

these pictures and textes are a bit to solemn, possibly it would be better to do it with 

humour and self-irony(like it is done in the first episodes of the science fiction-series 

"Sliders"(four people travel through worlds, where history went in another way), for example 

the old lady in the episode "Summer of love", who states, that she "doesnīt allow sympathizing 

with the outback-kong"(fifth "Sliders"-Episode("Reise durch das Zeitloch")[original 

title:"Summer of love"], written by Tracy Tormé, Los Angeles: a St. Clare Entertainment 

production in co-operation with Universal Television 1995, my translation), in the flat, she 

wants to hire out. This is, because "America lost the battle in the pacific in the second 

World War and Japan occupied Australia. When the Nazis capitulated, the Russians came into 

operation in the war in the pacific and helped to free North Australia, but never gave it 

back. Now the north combats the south."[this way Quinn Mallory, one of the persons travelling 

through worlds, explains the conflict in the episode "Reise durch das Zeitloch"(a.a.O.)].
What do you think of all this?

Cheers,
Knud
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