Re: [Usability]User Object Simplification?

[Per Cederberg <per percederberg net>]

Nils Pedersen wrote:
> http://nils.gnome.org/gnome/G2-next/objects.html
>
> Anyway take a look at it and lemme know what you think.

Nice object models! I think the first one illustrated why I'm
still confused with respect to some Gnome concepts... ;-)

Anyway, coming from Windows I noticed a certain similarity
in the suggested model. Windows doesn't support applets, but
allows you to place your shortcuts more or less where you
like (desktop, start menu, quick launch). Shortcuts in
Windows are actually more powerful than the launchers in
Gnome, as they may also contain a global keybinding for the
particular application (must be Ctrl-Alt-<something> though).

As you point out, launchers (or links or shortcuts) are
problematic for many users. Personally I'm bothered by the
configuration settings (geometry, shortcut keys, preferred
icon, command-line options) that are kept totally separate
from the application itself. I usually end up configuring
the same command-line options in two or three different
launchers... :-(

One way to attack this, would be to upgrade applications
to first class citizens on the desktop. In the same way as
documents may have specific properties, an application
object could be presented with for example:

o Run
o <<Application-specific options here>>
o Repair/Reinstall
o Uninstall
o Remove/Hide (from menu, panel...)
o Properties (command-line, preferred icon, keybinding...)

An application is not the same as an executable file. In
the case of Mozilla, for example, several applications (mail,
web browser) share the same executable. In other cases
several applications are installed in the same installation
package. Removing one application from the package, should
not cause the other applications to stop working. The physical
file removal should only happen once all applications
depending on a single installation package have been removed.

An application is not the same as a launcher. Launchers are
copied across menus and panels, and so they may have
different settings in different places. Removing one launcher
does not remove all other launchers to the same application.
Launchers also have few object-like qualities, and
specifically do not allow uninstallation.

There are some issues with this solution that I'll leave out
for now. This mail is already long, and immediate scrutiny
spoils all the fun, doesn't it? ;-)

/Per Cederberg