[Usability] Mezzo interface [was Re: nautilus ... ]

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

On Thu, 14 Jul 2005, Diego Moya wrote:

> "In pursuit of desktop evolution: User problems and practices with
> modern desktop systems." (Ravasio 2004)
>
> Link: (might require access from an academic institution to read it)
> http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=+Ravasio%3A+In+pursuit+of+desktop+evolution&btnG=Search

/me files link away for later reading
thanks.

> The Mezzo desktop is a GUI proposal to achieve these objectives:
>
> http://homepage.mac.com/jasonspisak/Mezzo/Menu3.html

I still think this idea is a load of Pants (Nat Friedman wrote about it in
his journal months back) but I suppose I should give it at least download
and give it a try before I dismiss it entirely (I've been wrong before
sometimes minor improvements do turn out to be a huge help).

For anyone interested in trying it out for real the ideas of Mezzo have
been implemented as Syphony OS:
http://www.symphonyos.com

I'm pretty sure Mezzo would only serve to move the mess from my Desktop to
my Documents folder but it could be an interesting novelty.

> Several of these ideas could be implemented in Gnome through special
> menu-like applets.

In a neat bit of cognative dissonance I have to say despite not liking the
idea it doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see applets that made it possible
for Gnome users to try it.

Replacing your desktop with the features normally accessed through
the menus is not much different from running Matchbox and the Gnome
Palmtop Enviroment on a larger Desktop computer size display.

Having the trashcan and the show desktop buttons in the corners is a
simply matter of configuring a panel correctly and adding only one item to
it.  And like you said the other features could probably be recreated too.

Sincerely

Alan Horkan

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