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

[Mateusz Łoskot <mateusz loskot net>]

> Jeff Waugh wrote:
> > Linus Torvalds wrote:
> >
> > I personally just encourage people to switch to KDE.
>
> This "users are idiots, and are confused by functionality" mentality of
Gnome is a disease. If you think your users are idiots, only idiots will
use it.
>

Personally, I'm a GNOME user and I always defend GNOME up to the hilt. But
I also have to say I agree with Linus.

> Hi Linus,
>
> That's definitely not a point of view of the GNOME Project - we're
focused on making Free Software appropriate for users who are smart (we
don't talk about 'dumb users'), but just don't care about
> computing technology.

IMO, that way you don't care about advanced users.
Advanced users are forced to use GNOME as non-professionals or even
beginners. Have you every tried to count all (unnecessary) clicks you have
to do in GNOME to do simple task? It's annoying just like in Microsoft
Windows.

A few months ago I tried to convince Nautilus (which is one of the most
important component of GNOME) developers to take a look at two panel file
manager like Total Commander (http://www.ghisler.com) or even Midnight
Commander and try to implement similar functionality to Nautilus. I'd
imagine Nautilus provides two ways of usage: Windows Explorer-like and
two-panes Commander-like way.

And?
They (Nautilus Dev Team) said Windows Explorer-like manager is a modern
and usable manager and if I don't like it I can use MC or something else.
Simply, I don't get it!

MC or TC are powerful and provide users with extremely fast way to
accomplish all tasks, and no discussion about it.

Let me to quote another user trying to ask Why?:
(http://mail.gnome.org/archives/nautilus-list/2004-April/msg00152.html)

"the question is:
i do not know something?
could you show me examples how to work with
a-lot-of-files-where-i-dont-care-about-the-thumbnails
as fast as in midnight commander?
maybe having 2 nautilus windows next to each other and cut&paste +
alt-tab? but it still feels a lot slower.
i understand that we need to make it easy to use for beginners (novice
computer users, whatever)... but what about me? :)
gabor"

Everything what I'm trying to say too is in the last question.

I agree about meeting beginner's needs and requirements but what about
professionals? What about those who use keyboard instead of mouse
(agreed wich Linus, writting is faster, so why not to allow users to write)?
The way GNOME is following seems to be Microsoft's way whose designers
even got rid of usable console.

Do you need more examples? I think Nautilus developers do :-)
There are about 20 people in my company (not only developers, but also
testers and cartographers) and 15 of them prefer to use Total Commander
instead of Windows Explorer. I'm sure similar situation is in most IT
companies.

Cheers

-- 
Mateusz Łoskot
http://mateusz.loskot.net