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

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

On Mon, 2006-08-21 at 09:56 +0200, Lennart Borgman wrote:
> 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?

Being able to use the keyboard for all operations is
absolutely a necessity.  Whether or not there should
be a keyboard shortcut (and there is one, Alt+F1) is
not the issue.  Whether it should be Ctrl+Esc (as well
as Super, as well as Alt+F1) is the question.

You stated earlier: "I have not seen anyone argueing
that very basic mouse operations should be different."
Surely you see the difference in *intuitiveness* with
the how you mouse to the menu.  A keyboard shortcut
is just an abitrary decision of keys.  How else would
anybody possibly propose to make the mouse work?

I don't think we should be bending over backwards to
mimic other operation systems.  There are certainly
many cases where common behavior is beneficial, and
plenty of cases where we can ease transition costs
by implementing learning paths that cater to users
of other systems.  But these things do always come
with a price, and we have to decide if the price is
worth it.

--
Shaun