Re: [Usability] Re: [Desktop_architects] Printing dialog and GNOME

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

On Wed, 14 Dec 2005, Tuomo Valkonen wrote:

> Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 23:00:59 +0000 (UTC)
> From: Tuomo Valkonen <tuomov iki fi>
> To: Usability gnome org
> Subject: [Usability] Re: [Desktop_architects] Printing dialog and GNOME
>
> On 2005-12-14, Owen Williams <ywwg usa net> wrote:
> > nautilus and the file chooser don't have <tab> completion but they do
> > have <enter> completion.  Start in a window with any file selected, and
> > start typing.  As soon as the folder you want is highlighted, hit enter
> > and the next folder opens up.  Repeat until you get the file you want.
> > It is _very_ fast and natural.
>
> Selecting the next completion or the one after that and so on is not
> fast and it is not natural. Especially when there are multiple
> completions with a long identical part, or the remaining character to
> select the next alternative is hard to produce, cycling is more convenient
> than typing the remaining characters to select a particular completion.
> In Gnome both are inconvenient. Having to move the hand to the cursor key
> block is almost as bad as having to move it to the mouse. ^N and ^P
> should work _everywhere_ where cursor keys work. They're far more
> convenient to access. Alternatively in this case, Tab should cycle.
>

> Of course, Gnome doesn't care to cater for people who are accustomed to
> these "unix-standard" bindings are any other convenient set of bindings.

I enjoy Tab completion on the command line and gedit correctly opens the
file in a new tab.  If other apps are not as smart as gedit perhaps you
could file a request.

The File chooser isn't perfect, no one claims it is either but broad
indignant statements wont help make it any better.

If you can find a way to have something more to your liking without
breaking accessiblity that would be great too.

You might even consider writing your own File Chooser (or forward porting
the old one) because the new API was designed with this in mind.
The GPE developers already offer their own custom file chooser.

There is really no need to continue the horrible negativity of the past
few days which only puts us on the fast track of a downward spiral.

- Alan