[Usability]Re: Nautilus bugs and design choices (back-button)

[Mathias Hasselmann <mathias hasselmann gmx de>]

On Tue, 9 Jul 2002, Reinout van Schouwen wrote:

> Hi Mathias,
> 
> On Tue, 9 Jul 2002, Mathias Hasselmann wrote:
> 
> > 	b) Rip-out the location entry, causing nautilus to become a really
> > useless programm for more advanced users. In that case you also
> 
> Not if you extend the functionality of the tree side panel to have
> incremental search capacity (with or without an accompanying textfield).
> Then the advanced user can still go where he wants with a few keystrokes.
> How about that?

	If you really want to do this all in the tree view I see some 
serious problems:

	1) You'd have to get all those magic URL schemas supported
	   gnome-vfs (applications: , preferences:, whatever:) into the 
	   tree. Ok, could be particulary done by extending the gnome-vfs
	   API to expose an enumeration of all (user visible) schemas 
	   supported.

	2) How do I reach sites in the web with such a tree?
	
	   - Didn't know that the web is hierachically organized, that
	     HTTP offers something like an enumeration function for pages 
	     stored on a server.
	   - Using history isn't an alternative 'cause it limits you to 
	     the pages visited already and most history functions drop 
	     information after some time for several good reason.
	   - Bookmarks  isn't an alternative: They need maintaince. 
	   - Integrating search engines like google of course make sense I
	     since most surf trips start at a search engine. But for 
	     presentation of results the sidebar is far too small AND: I
	     really do not want to use a search engine, scan thousands of 
	     hits if I know the URL I'm going to visit already (for 
	     example 'cause I've got a business card, 'cause I saw an
	     advertisement, 'cause someone gave me the exact URL on the 
	     phone, in the office, whereever...

	3) Of course you tree will support copy'n'paste -- but who'll come 
	   to the mad idea of pasting text into your tree view? It's 
	   definitly not a text area.

	4) An entry field in a sidebar will be pretty small and so it 
	   will be damn hard to read/to edit.


	Well, this all together sall not say that a more sophisticated 
tree view would be crap -- the opposite is the case. But I don't see how 
it would replace a full flavored location entry...

> > use such a system. AND: We should not overrate Sun's usablility studies:
> > _Sun is clueless about useablility_. Don't know of a successfull desktop
> 
> And you don't even know how to spell usability. 

	Hehe.... Duh... Hrm... Stupid typo -- <excuse id="42">Was in
hurry</excuse>.

> I think the involvement of Sun here is very welcome; not in the least 
> because they have resources to conduct actual usability studies that 
> ordinary hackers don't.

	Yes, yes, yes! Sun is very welcome. Yes, they have knowledge,
resources, whatever... the ordinary hacker doesn't have. BUT: I'm an user
to -- and well: If the GUIs designed by their UI gurus just are
inconvenient, unusable for a good number of (maybe I have to add
"advanced") users, I definitly have the right to say: "A shame what they
did with all their great resources" and much more I have the right to say
"Don't overrate them". 

	Hey, "don't overrate" in my understanding doesn't mean "ignore
them" or "they are moronic" or something like that. In my understanding
"don't overrate" simply means "Hey, those folks also make mistakes. 
Don't follow them blindly".


Ciao,
Mathias
-- 
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