Re: [Nautilus-list] Constructive Criticism Revisted

[James Mitchell Allmond <gte203h prism gatech edu>]

I don't think either of my two nautilus UIs are confusing. In fact, they
are just the opposite. It's clear how to access any drive. Once that
goal is accomplished, the rest is childs play. Remember a computer
illiterate person knows nothing of file systems. All they know is that
they want to access their floppy or cdrom drive and put its files (like
documents, etc..) on their desktop or home directory. Or vice versa. A
new user would be lost if he didn't see directly how to access such
things. No offense, but who cares if you personally find it useless. You
are a advanced user compared to most computer users so you can't think
in terms of what you personally like. As far as what I personally like,
I don't really care if I even have a file browser. However, there are
other people out there that aren't like that and shouldn't be unable to
use a linux desktop because the developers only had advanced users in
mind. The reason I take interest in Nautilus is because UI design is
kind of fun. I'm also a physicist who has to use linux on a daily basis
and it would be nice if others that join the research team could use the
computers naturally without me having to waste a weeks worth of my time
explaining how to do simple file management tasks. From where things
stand now, I think either the vertical or horizontal placement is fine.
Perhaps their placement could be dynamic depending on the dimensions of
the window. In either case, the details of how the "Places" icons are
arranged is trivial. The real point is that such things should be easily
discoverable and easy to access. I just think it looks better to have it
done in a way similar to the way I've presented it. Plus is sets up a
bit of consistency between nautilus and evolution which will be gnome2's
most gnomish and widespread applications.




> Well, the *point* of toolbars in general is to give users quick access
> to frequently-used functions.  So it seems that it does have to do with
> what you use the most.
> 
> 
> It's about partitioning a topic into it's core
> > subtopics. A user doesn't spend much time clicking between "My summary"
> > and "inbox" in evolution either but yet they are there taking up most of
> > the real estate. 
> 
> I do quite a bit, actually...that's why it's called the "shortcuts"
> bar....it lets you quickly switch between common functions.  It also
> provides a quick visual of which folder I have new mail in.
> 
> Why? Cause it breaks Evolution into the key components
> > of what it's for. What's a file browser for? It's for moving between
> > different data storage devices and manipulating or viewing their
> > contents.
> 
> I *barely* have to move stuff to a floppy or from a cdrom.
> I'm all for a nautilus sidebar that has a "places" list, where you can
> add new ones, but it comes with nice defaults.  (practically what the
> Nautilus Bookmarks are, I guess....it could use the same machinery)  So
> your home dir, your removable devices, and whatever else you use
> frequently could be listed quickly.
> 
> But remember, the more buttons and such you have, the harder it is
> initially to figure out how to use it - simply by virtue of more
> information to process.  And you also force people to have a wider
> screen.  If you do the vertical arrangement, and the user has the
> sidebar active too, then nautilus is split into 3 panels...which is
> getting pretty rediculous.
> 
>  At the heart of the whole purpose is the individual
> > components. When a author writes a book, does he let the reader use the
> > index as the primary source for organizing the material and as the means
> > of navigation? No, he breaks it into it's fundamental sections and
> > labels those in the outline. The index is just a extra tool for
> > specifics. These "Places" Icons are the exact same thing.
> > 
> 
> But are the sections on the top of every page?
> Do you have a fundamental problem with just making a sidebar for
> "places"?  That seems like the simplest solution.
> 
> > 
> > 
> > 
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