Re: PATCH: Bug 82463

[Alexander Larsson <alexl redhat com>]

On 1 Sep 2002, Dave Bordoley wrote:

> Removes "new window" from the context menus. This is a Calum approved UI
> change.
> 
> Rational
> -----------
> daveB says:
> 
> Based on the theory of OO UI design, context menus
> should provide menu items that perform some sort of action on the
> selected item, in this case the selected window. However new window
> doesn't do any "work" on the current directory so it violates this
> principle.
> 
> Calum says:
> 
> I'd go along with Dave's suggestion... and a quick check on Windoze
> Explorer confirms it does the same.  "Open in New Window" is fine for
> a selected icon(s)' context menu, but when there's nothing selected,
> "New Window" is somewhat of out of place IMHO.
> 
> Actually I'm not convinced it makes a lot of sense on the desktop
> context menu either, as there's no indication of what's going to be in
> the new window when it opens.  (Again, Windoze XP doesn't give you
> this option either, not that I'm advocating we just copy Windoze for
> everything of course...)

I'm not sure I like this. Given Nautilus reliance on drag and drop between 
multiple windows for managing files I find that opening new windows is a 
very common operation. I'm myself used to opening new windows from the 
File menu, but having it in the context menu seems useful, as it's faster 
and easier to hit.

I haven't read any books about this supposed "OO UI design", but we 
shouldn't be just removing stuff that lots of people find useful because 
of some consistancy theory. Consistancy is good, but getting work done is 
better.

On the other hand, if someone points out reasons for New Window on the 
context menu being actively BAD for something we should probably remove 
it. I don't think that the context menu where New Window appears is 
cluttered, hard to read or anything like that, so I don't think it's bad.

Some people suggested renaming New window to "Open Home dir" or something. 
I think this misses the point of the operation. You open a new window 
because you need another one to manipulate files. The fact that it opens 
the default directory is a byproduct, and when looking for the operation 
in the menus you're not searching for the byproduct. If what you really 
wanted was just to go to the home dir there is already the more logical 
Go->Home menu item.

-- 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 Alexander Larsson                                            Red Hat, Inc 
                   alexl redhat com    alla lysator liu se 
He's a superhumanly strong sweet-toothed hairdresser who dotes on his loving 
old ma. She's a scantily clad blonde queen of the dead fleeing from a Satanic 
cult. They fight crime!