Re: [Usability] The Pathetic State of the GNU/Linux Desktop

[Jacob Beauregard <jake13jake comcast net>]

Thorsten Wilms wrote:
> On Sun, Feb 18, 2007 at 07:54:45PM -0500, Jacob Beauregard wrote:
>
>   
> > The Pathetic State of the GNU/Linux Desktop
> >     
>
> Pathetic is quite a strong word. Such a broad and unfounded 
> claim shows a lack or respect to all the hard work that went 
> into current offerings. It is no at all constructive.
>
>   
I only said that to catch your attention.
>   
> > There is no excuse for a blind person not to 
> > be able to use a mouse, it's just that nobody has made this available to 
> > them. There's no excuse that a blind person has to use a long-winded 
> > screen reader when they're tabbing through a panel or their desktop.
> >     
>
> Maybe I'm missing something ... but explain to me how a blind user 
> is supposed to use a mouse, a device where you have to rely on visual 
> feedback?
>
>   
Who said that you have to rely on visual feedback to use a mouse? There 
could always be a sound to describe where I am on the screen.
>   
> > I also mentioned long-winded screen readers 
> >     
>
> You like to prepend long-winded screenreaders. Are there screenreaders 
> that are not long-winded? How can a non-visual user interface be not 
> long-winded, given that audio and tactile interfaces have to serial?
> Ok, I could imagine 'broadband' tactile interfaces, but the hardware 
> would be damn expensive.
>   
What you fail to interpret is that a worded description is not the only 
way to identify something using audio, much in the same way we don't 
rely on text when using icons.
>   
> > One thing I notice about all of these applications using tabs, usually 
> > they have varying functionality. Some let you drag and drop a tab and 
> > have it create a new window, or drag a tab to another tab bar of the 
> > same application and it will merge into that window. Some have X 
> > buttons, some don't. Some applications like hiding the tabs if there's 
> > only one open. Tabs can be easily compared to window lists. I'll tell 
> > you what I see with this, a huge potential gain for functionality and 
> > interoperability.
> >     
>
> Well, I would like to see a single implementation of tabs. Or at 
> least consistent behaviour everywhere.
>
>   
Then we agree here for the most part.
>   
> > First, since tabs with X buttons on them have proved usable and 
> > successful, why not have the functionality to add the -[]X stuff to the 
> > task bar? The only difference between the task bar and a tab bar is that 
> > the task bar generally handles multitasking whereas a tab bar generally 
> > organizes several things that aren't all being used at once. 
> >     
>
> X buttons would take space away from the labels.
> They would likely increase the time it takes to 'read' the task bar.
> Task bar entries are associated with windows. Windows that have X buttons.
> Closing is accessible via right-click on a task bar item.
>   
Try taking into mind Mozilla's reasoning to put individual X buttons on 
the tabs of Firefox. No, they didn't have those initially.
>   
> > Secondly, why in the world haven't all applications come together on the 
> > dragging a tab out opens that tab in a new window, and dragging a tab 
> > back in merges it into the current window, and closes its own? One 
> > reason that people generally don't like tabs is that it gets into the 
> > way of their multitasking, where this kind of feature overcomes that, 
> > giving more power to the user. 
> >     
>
> While I agree that being able to pull tabs out and in would be nice, 
> it's new to me that people generally don't like tabs. I think tabs  
> have appeared exactly there where users prefer them over windows and 
> do not miss the characteristics of windows much (separate windows 
> having there own size and location, showing/hiding, moving between 
> worksapces).
>   
Let's say I'm using Gaim and I want to view two conversations 
side-by-side. It could be the same for two different websites, chat 
rooms, etc.
>   
> > P.S. And now I will mention that this entire letter is stream of 
> > consciousness, so good luck reading it.
> >     
>
> Yeah, the way to go to show good manners and respect for your readers. 
> Like, do you really want to communicate something else except some 
> vague frustration?
>
>   
Wow, this response is the least constructive I've received. A lot of the 
KDE people have been focused on many of the problems I've mentioned here 
for quite some time.