Re: Mega patch to make spatial nautilus rock!

[Jamie McCracken <jamiemcc blueyonder co uk>]

On Wed, 2004-07-14 at 00:46, Manuel Amador (Rudd-O) wrote:
> > Its also not really a third way as you put it cause we dont need the
> > heavyweight navigator for it as an option - even ms explorer is separate
> > from the lightweight browser it uses on the desktop. The navigator is
> > fine as a separate and more complex app for more experienced users (a la
> > explorer) but I actually find my patch with pathbar much much better for
> > general browsing. If you haven't tried the patch then I suggest you do
> > cuz it really makes browsing and file management really pleasant and
> > efficient.
> 
> I think that the bottom nav pathbar is a great idea.

Yes I'm glad theres a majority of you that do want this feature - its so
much slicker and nicer than the inefficient and irritating popup
location button/menu.


>   You just have to
> make it not start at / but use the topologically nearest available root
> out of the list of roots in the file/open dialog.  Basically
> 
> /home/rudd-o/src
> 
> shoudl appear as
> 
> [Home folder] [src]
> 
> Is that it?  

Already implemented and with home stock icon too so it more closely
resembles the file chooser's pathbar - see my screenshot for what it
looks like with this at :

http://www.jamiemcc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Nautilus_pathbar.png


> Oh and it *should* open a new window.

But it does! (but you can also set it to open in the same window too -
EG you could set it up to have left click to open in new window and
middle click to open in same window and that way the pathbar can do both
depending whether you left or middle click it).

Just to elaborate on why having the "open in same window" is appropriate
here is because it actually provides a better slicker browsing ability
compared to the navigator cause it has really good usability and
consistency with the file chooser (thanks to the pathbar) and that will
of course make it much easier for new users. And the icing on the cake
is it integrates perfectly with the spatial mode thereby allowing you to
mix and match the two really smartly - it creates the perfect hybrid
file manager thats superior to either a pure browse or pure spatial
implementation - there really is no need to limit yourself to just
browse or spatial any longer (and hopefully end the destructive
polarisation and fragmentation that the browser/spatial dichotomy causes
too). 

I haven't used a better or slicker file manager anywhere else on any
other platform - it even beats OS/X thanks to the pathbar!

But there's no point in me ranting on how cool it is cause you really
need to try it out to appreciate how slick and elegant it is - I'm not
exaggerating when I say it rocks!


jamie.