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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: Abstracting the Linux Desktop from the File-system
From:       Troels Tolstrup <troels () tolstrup ! org>
Date:       2002-11-29 17:26:52
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On Fredag den 29. november 2002 17:56, Julien Olivier wrote:
> Le Vendredi 29 Novembre 2002 18:37, Manuel Amador a écrit :
> > Did you read?
> >
> > Abstracting the Linux Desktop from the File-system
> > http://evolvedoo.sourceforge.net/abstract/index.html
> >
> > ?
> >
> > Seems a good read!
>
> I submitted two bugs: one to get kmail's default folder to .mail and
> one to have the desktop path as ~/ by default.
>
> 5 minutes after having posted those wishes, they were closed
> "WONTFIX".
>
> Sadly, there's no hope to see KDE developers listen to users soon I
> believe...

Well, i believe im a user too, even though im a programmer.

I think it was an interesting read, but i still think the idea is 
flawed.

Abstracting the filessytem is a good idea, but i do not like the $HOME 
is desktop idea at all. Try finding something on the desktop while you 
have serveral programs open. Or do you actually expect one to minimize 
their windows, or make sure they dont occupy the entire desktop?

I think a much better solution would be to hide everything below $HOME 
by default, but have easy access shortcuts in relevant places so its 
still easy to go to /. (and of course an option to turn it off for 
those of us who actually think the unix file system is superior to 
everything else out there that we have seen, and who just want to see 
it as it is)

This way you don't force working in a specific way on the user, and you 
don't have to deal with all the problems that storing things on the 
desktop gives, not to mention that a lot of people prefer having an 
empty desktop.

Do you think it was without reason that microsoft decided to go away 
from accessing things from the desktop after having used it since 95? 
(a deafult windows xp only got a trashcan on the desktop, everything 
else, like my documents, is accessed through the start menu). I 
unfortunately can't find a reference (I trashed my article archive by 
mistake :( ), but there have been some studies indicating that the 
entire desktop metaphore didnt work out in reality, and this alone 
suggests that one should be careful to push it too hard before it has 
been thoroughly tested as it is a major change.

Mvh
Troels

 
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