Re: new file selector dialog?

[David Moles <david moles vykor com>]

On Fri, 2002-03-08 at 13:23, Sean Middleditch wrote:
> 
> I also don't think it should *not* be a feature because what the future
> *may* hold.  Right now, e-mail isn't an option for us - attaching to the
> network in their case isn't that easy (especially if they're at home),
> and the only GroupWise e-mail client for Linux that supports the address
> book and calendars and whatnot is a very nasty web-based system (one we
> don't want to force the users to use overly much when not in the
> office).  Maybe if the Evo. developers would write a Novell/Groupwise
> plugin... ~,^

And I don't think it *should* be a *standard* feature just because *you*
need it for *your* situation. I'm not seeing the need, so I don't think
it should be a standard; you *are* seeing the need, so you do. We need
to determine whose situation is more typical.

> But then, some of the "usability" studies we've had don't
> seem to work out quite as well as we'd have liked.  Making such a study
> accurate is very hard.  You have to test a *lot* of people, in a
> professional test environment (online polls aren't very accurate), with
> a variety of skills levels and familiarity (look at the fights we've had
> with the changing of Yes/No to No/Yes in the GTK/GNOME dialog).

Yeah, but it's not likely to be any less accurate than the "who can
yell louder on the mailing lists" method of deciding. :)

> If a person can't so much as speak the truth here, then this isn't the
> place developers should be discussing things.  We had to pick KDE
> because, among other things, GNOME 1.4 just can't compare to KDE 2.x. 
> With GNOME 2.2, that may be different (GNOME 2.0 looks like it is going
> to have the exact same UI problems).

Saying the need for easy access means KDE over GNOME, and that GNOME
"just can't compare" to KDE, isn't "speaking the truth", it's stating
your opinion, which, without backing it up with specifics, is pretty
much a flame. Now if you wanted to talk about just what KDE features
made you think it would be a better fit for your users than GNOME, or
just what changes you think GNOME 2.0 should be making that it isn't,
that's an entirely different story. But "GNOME sucks, KDE rocks" 
doesn't give anyone much to work with. I'm sure among KDE users your
perceived shortcomings of GNOME are common currency, but I'm guessing
they're not among GNOME users, or GNOME 2.0 would be doing something
about them. :/

(Of course, by this point this discussion should probably be on the
usability list anyway...)