RE: [Nautilus-list] "start here"

[Jonas De Vuyst <jonas devuyst advalvas be>]

On 05 Jul 2001 12:48:33 -0500, Ryan Muldoon wrote:
> I think that you have a good idea here.  The whole "Start Here" concept was
> suggested by Havoc a while ago, and discussed at length.  I think it is a
> really good idea to help novices, and make one's desktop more convenient.  A
> larger, more obvious icon on the desktop might be nice.  A very slow,
> occasional pulse might be cool, but we'd have to test it out to see if it
> would end up just being obnoxious.
> 
> That said, I think it would be cool if the panel had a "show desktop" type
> icon, similar to windows.  I used to think that such an icon was silly, but
> then once I started using my desktop more for documents and such rather than
> a place to launch applications, it became much more useful.
> 
> 	--Ryan

My arguments against such an icon
are all about speed and lazyness,
it's important to be able to start
programs with the minimal possible
effort. It's important because it's
something you have to do a lot
(unless you have only a handful of
applications you use, which you all
place on the panel).

When opening a program using the
current menu:
1/ Throw your mouse cursur to the
lower left corner of the screen,
this
   is a very easy to hit button.
(Well, it currently doesn't work but
it
   should.)
2/ Navigate to the current submenu
(though I'm not sure if the
   program menu is merged in the
foot menu by default, it should ;D).
3/ Click the application you want to
launch.

With The Icon:
1/ Click the Show Desktop button if
necessary.
2/ (Double-)click The Icon (Fitts'
law doesn't help you here).
3/ Choose the desired sub-category,
this will probably require either
   clicking something or scrolling.
4/ Choose the desired program.
5/ Close the window that The Icon
opened. Though the window could be
   made to close automaticly when
you launch a program.

So for experienced users The Icon
would be very much less productive
than The Foot. Also for new users
the "Show Desktop" button is a
hard-to-grasp concept (my mother was
frightened when I clicked it and all
her programs disappeared, and she
knows about the Windows task bar;
that said, I'd like to see such a
button myself).

Perhaps someone could come up with a
better concept than The Foot but
even then I'd argue to place its
launcher in a corner, on the panel.

Jonas.