Re: Request for breakage in gnome-panel

[Alan Cox <alan lxorguk ukuu org uk>]

> The biggest incentive for people to quit using a GNOME desktop, and move
> to Windows, is arbitrary, caprious changing of the user desktop for no
> good reason to the users.  Rather than people guessing this is what
> users want or need, it seems to me that actually talking to cross sections
> of a wide variety of users might provide accurate models of what people
> need and want.

You need to talk to a wide variety of potential users as well - Havoc is
right that they tell you very different things to your typical Linux
user. It's obviously hard to figure out their view on the changing
nature of Gnome because they don't yet use it. Existing users do
regularly mention "it changes too much/fast" and often use words like
"arbitary" and "arrogant". They are I think much more concerned about
lack of desktop lockdown ability and performance than about "Run as"
however.

One thing that is annoying as hell that I've now heard from several
people involved in the front line pushing desktops is that "If its not
in the same place as in Windows then they assume its a missing feature".
I fear users are now so brainwashed/trained into one thing that what
users _think_ they want is a windows clone.

I'm all for seeing a better Gnome but removing things that don't cause
confusion for what appear to be arbitary reasons doesn't work. All it
will do is cause a fork in Gnome between "purist Gnome" and "vendor
shipped Gnome for real people", where the latter puts back things the
users expect regardless of their "purity" of model. 

I'm baffled why "Run as" is a problem to anyone but the balance is hard
and the more folks can go and talk to users/potential users the better.
Go victimise some relatives, business associates or other willing (or
unable to escape) people and take notes. Its a parallelisable problem to
do that and then look for common themes in the results.

Alan