Re: Middle click, "dumbing down" Slashdotted

[Ray Morris <webmastersguide2000 yahoo com>]

Allan Day <allanpday gmail com> said:

> > I have read discussion of making things easier for new users, the key word "discoverable"
> > is used more than once on the page about the proposal, etc.

> Which page? Which proposal?


The wiki, for example:
https://wiki.gnome.org/GnomeOS/Design/Whiteboards/Selections

and the Bugzilla:
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=665193


>   the designs for what might happen to middle-click have neither been finalised nor publicised. I think it 
> would be 
> better to wait until the text selection designs have been documented before we discuss it. :)

Pelosi. I believe plans should be thought through PRIOR to being finalized. :)  Particularly, general 
principles should 
be heeded even when first conceptualizing a design.

Regarding the topic at hand, Larry Wall has written insightfully about the topic.  In brief, he argues that 
systems should 

optimally be easy to get started with_the_basics_, then with infinitely many more and more powerful uses 
being available 
as the user learns, and as they have need for additional features.  To handicap long term use in the name of 
reducing the 
things a new user might learn is folly, as users will be new for weeks or months, they'll be experienced 
users for years.
Don't give up something that will be useful for many years to shorten a month of learning.

That's a general principle, something that is worth keeping in mind before settling on any specifics.

Ray Morris