[Usability] Gnome save file dialog improvement mockup

[Antti Aspinen <antti aspinen gmail com>]

Well I came up with this idea to improve gnome save file dialog.
http://www.edu.lahti.fi/~aaspinen/kuvat/protos/gnomefiledialog.png

I'd like to talk about it and get comments about it. Thank you.

Basicly I have edited this picture so that those file system buttons have been replased with windows stylish menubar which has all the levels up to root level where ever directory you are.

Side bar which contains the file system bookmarks are searchable like usually (just type something.. you know... ;^_^ ) but it doesn't show up in this shot. (maybe I'll improve it later)

The main improved in side bar left is that it can be hidden so that it is not visible. Another improvement is that those filesystem bookmarks can be hidden as they are in a list. Those lists can be edited by creating one and moving stuff to it by mouse. (I'll improve this mockup if you didn't get what I am trying to say here. :] ) At currently I have only one list showing here (root list) but there can be more.

I also edited file list so that it includes "step up one level" button as there ain't it in gnome file save dialog. It at least makes me curse "save file-dialog" like two or four times a day. so I added ".." to it.

Some buttons are now smaller. They are smaller so that they are not in a way of more important buttons like "Cancel"(in shot is it "Peru" as I am finnish and I was too lazy to change it english.) and "Save" (in mockup it is "Tallenna") ;^_^


I am pretty sure that it got flaws but at least not as bad as there are now.

Note that thought my mockup screenshot is missing stuff it give a some clue what I am thinking about. I also know that somethings might be impossible to work as they are in shot since I know about some of the limitations in GTK+ toolkit. Of course they could be hard worked but I think that it should be possible with less work to make it more morking system and improve it later. I am not professional coder but I understand that it might be requing awfully lot of work otherwise to make it work fine.

Second button of mouse will give some advanced options stuff. I'll edit this more later to show how it works in my idea. But all the stuff like "add filesystem bookmark" "remove filesystem bookmark" "create file system bookmark folder" and "show full path".

"Show full path" is a function that would be something between the "writeable address box" and "filesystem bookmarks". I'll show it later.

Feel free to comment. I hope that this won't start anyflames in anyone. I am hoping that this will help to develop better gnome as it has lots of just bad design flaws which are good ideas but totally wrongly worked out with wrong gui widgets.

If you think this suck then you have to tell me why it sucks. Base your opinions to something and think about it without first writing that it is just bad.

I haven't writen here a lot so I don't know how you will react posts like these. I am sorry if I am just wasting your time.

-Antti-
antti aspinen gmail com