Virtual locations containing files from multiple directories - was: Re: [Usability] Proposal to solve some drawbacks of the current spatial implementation

[Maurizio Colucci <seguso forever tin it>]

Maurizio Colucci wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Although I agree with the principles of spatiality, there's something 
> I don't like with the actual way the spatial paradigm in GNOME is 
> implemented. The problem is two-fold, depending on your style of usage:
>
> 1. if you do not use middle-click or similar technique, the problem is 
> that you get a proliferation of open windows, most of which are 
> useless. This makes it more difficult to switch between windows in the 
> window-list. (Of course, periodically closing useless windows by hand 
> is a non-solution --- it's like doing your own garbage collection; 
> it's simply something you would not want to do.)
>
> 2. OTOH, if you do use middle click, you don't get a proliferation of 
> open windows, but you are forced too decide too early whether the 
> current folder must be closed or kept visible. This is annoying 
> because, when you have an objective in mind which you are pursuing 
> (like reaching a precise window), you don't want to have to think 
> about secondary issues like whether the intermediate windows must be 
> closed. That decision must be postponeable.
>
> I am proposing the following change, which solves both problems in one 
> shot:
>
> In the gnome panel, add a global dropdown button called "recent 
> folders". when clicked, it simply pops up a menu with the most 
> recently visited locations, SORTED BY LAST VISITING TIME. It is GLOBAL 
> because it contains locations visited from ANY nautilus window; it is 
> not relative to one window. If you select a folder from the menu, a 
> nautilus window relative to that directory is opened (or brought on 
> top if already opened).
>
> What is interesting about this solution is that it solves both problems:
>
> 1. It solves problem 1 because, although there will still be many open 
> windows in the window-list, nonetheless it will be easy to switch 
> between windows, because of the sorting: the useless folders will 
> quickly end up in the bottom of the "recent list", so you will rarely 
> have to look at them. Almost always, you'll only have to scan the 
> first few items in the list (tested).    Especially, continuously 
> toggling between two windows (a very frequent operation) is trivial 
> with the "recent list" but terribly difficult with the current 
> wnidow-list.
>
> 2. It solves problem 2 because you can always use only middle click, 
> yet quickly reach a recent folders. So you are no more forced to an 
> early decision about the importance of intermediate folders.
>
> -----
>
> Then, optionally, in nautilus, you could swap the behavior of middle 
> click and left click (i.e. default to "close parent window"), since 
> there would not be a reason for left clicking anymore (or at least it 
> would be very rarely needed). This would make sense because if you 
> only introduce complexity, without removing any, you are not really 
> doing a simplification.
>
> ---- 


A  big improvement over this proposal occurred to me.

Suppose you implemented a "recent folders" popup list, as I suggested. 
The items in this list would not be first-class citizens, i.e. they 
could only be clicked, and this click would only lanch nautilus.

This limitation could be removed with no drawback by providing a 
"virtual location" containing the recently used folders, so that the 
folders could be more completely manipulated.

This idea in turn lends itself to generalization: make nautilus able to 
browse some "virtual locations" that contain files from more than one 
directory. Examples of virtual locations:

* recently used files from any directory (maybe sorted by recent usage 
or frequent usage)

* recently used directories from any directory.

* bookmarked locations.

* recently files passed as arguments to a given program (this is more 
difficult because you have to provide a way to select programs).

These locations should be like any other nautilus windows, i.e. their 
items should be completely manipulatable, as if you were seeing them in 
their own folder.

I am just wondering what you guys think about this.

PS: This is all implemented in http://onefinger.sf.net, so you can give 
it a try.

cheers,

Maurizio