Re: [Usability] nautilus, panel, and metacity not acting as if the desktop was a single entity

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

On Sun, 15 May 2005, Phil Bull wrote:

> Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 09:57:10 +0100
> From: Phil Bull <philbull gmail com>
> To: usability gnome org
> Subject: Re: [Usability] nautilus, panel,
>      and metacity not acting as if the desktop was a single entity
>
> > Where the computer knows where something belongs it should just
> > ask, "do you want to put this away?"
>
> Are you thinking of something like filters in Evolution? It might be a
> bit more difficult to implement, considering the complexity of
> documents compared to mail, but this would be a very nice feature to
> have. Plus it's not inconceivable that a basic system of this type
> could be up and running for G2.14.

Sounds good to me.

I'd love to be able to throw documents on the desktop and have my clever
assistant file them in Documents/ Spreadsheets/ Presentations/ Music/ or
whatever other standard folders I use.

> > I don't know if it'd be better, but I do know that wherever the
> > metaphor fails ("leaky abstractions", I think that might be a Jef Raskin
> > term) users tend to have difficulties... e.g. "drag floppy to waste
> > basket to eject"
>
> I was browsing through the HIG recently and the 'device to waste
> basket to eject' issue cropped up:
>
> Quoted from:
>
> http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/2.0/principles-match.html
>
> > When using metaphors, however, it is important to neither take the metaphor
> > too literally, nor to extend the metaphor beyond its reasonable use. For
> > example, the capacity of a file folder should not be limited to the capacity
> > of a physical file folder, which presumably could contain only a few
> > documents before becoming unwieldy. On the other hand, a waste basket
> > should not be used for anything other than holding discarded files. It should
> > not be used, for example, to eject a removable disk such as a floppy or CD.
>
> So is improving functionality important enough to break an
> established, user-familiar metaphor? Or should we seek a new metaphor
> to accomodate the features we want to add?

I dont think this is the best example.  In the case of eject by 'throwing
in trashcan' the problem is we have nothing better to offer.  The more
pure less anachronistic metaphor doesn't gain us anything, all we would be
doing (and are currently doing) is being entirely unhelpful, failing to
meet user expectations and suggesting they use a more cumbersome and
complicated method.  If anything this is a case where it is actually worth
extending the metaphor.

On big change Gnome has embraced was to have the action button on the far
right and even though that is not what many users are familiar with it has
turned out really well and now I wouldn't have it any other way.

Sincerely

Alan Horkan

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