Re: [Usability] Using Control-Esc and Windows keys to access the start menu

[Lennart Borgman <lennart borgman 073 student lu se>]

Kirk Bridger wrote:
> Hi Lennart,
Hi Kirk,
> Using a keyboard shortcut for opening the Start Menu is not a basic 
> operation.  Perhaps it may seem rudimentary to some people, but many 
> people out there rarely use the Start menu at all, opting instead for 
> shortcuts on their desktop.
If we think about accessibility too (and I think we should) is it not 
then a very, very basic operation?

> The idea behind Gnome, as Alan H. has said, is to provide sane and 
> consistent defaults.  The target audience for this is primarily people 
> who are not familiar with Gnome.  The consistency is also aimed at 
> mid/advanced users as frankly it presents an easier to use interface 
> at any level.  Consistency is good.
Yes, but it can mean different things. Cross-OS consistency is good for 
very many users. And I believe it can be a breaking tools for minor 
OS:es. But of course you have to treat existing users as well as possible!

I would think a switch to turn on/off MS Windows like features (see 
Alans message) is a great idea.

BTW in the next version of Emacs there will be a switch for turning 
on/off CUA keys. That is for all those current and potential users that 
are using CUA keys outside of Emacs. A great idea and it is working very 
well in the next version of Emacs. (So are vi emulation mode viper. I 
use both this and the CUA keys.)

> So in this case I think Gnome should stick to the powerful mantra of 
> consistency rather than mimicry.  The default should adhere to the 
> desktop environment standards as those are something the user will 
> encounter throughout their experience with Gnome.  Simply making it 
> like Windows so transitioning is easier does not trump Gnome's current 
> settings.
>
>
> I hope this explains why I would be against this as a default setting?
Thanks, what you are saying makes sense to me. However I would still 
prefer to have it easier for new users who knows about MS Windows.

How about the idea of a switch (see above) to turn on/off MS Windows 
like features? A distribution of for example GNU/Linux then have 
different possibilities:

1) Let the switch be off
2) Let the switch be on
3) Ask the user at installation
4) Put that switch in an easy-to-see-and-understand place