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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    KDesktop
From:       JESSE B BISNETTE <jbbst26+ () pitt ! edu>
Date:       2002-06-29 8:42:07
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Hello all,

I am new to this list, so I apologize if this topic has been brought up
before.  Anyway, I don't know about you guys, but I find the KDE desktop
to be quite unpolished and not the most user friendly aspects of KDE.  I
think the the following suggestions would greatly help make KDE even
better ...

First I think the icons should align themselves to a better grid system.
As it is now, it appear to me that the icons in a row are positioned based
on the largest icon description in a given column.  Therefore, if you add
another icon to a column with a larger description, the entire column  of
icons shift when you align them.  I think that, when icons are
aligned using the right click->align icons option, they should align
themselves to a fixed grid with vertical grid spacings slightly larger
than the the largest allowable text field (what is it now ... about 14
characters?).

Secondly, and this is for the konq file browser as well, when a file with
a long filename exists on either the desktop or while browsing using konq,
some abbreviated filename should appear that is only 1 row of text,
similar to the way either Macs or Windows handle this problem.  The only
time the full file name is shown is when that icon is active.  The
current behaviour can be extremely annoying when dragging extremely long
URL links onto the desktop and fixing this would reduce the huge gaps
between two icons aligned vertically.

Third, it seems kind of annoying when I save a file to the desktop and It
saves places the icon on the desktop in-between two columns of icons.  If I
drag a file to the desktop, it should be placed where I drag it to (as it
does now), and when I either save a file to the desktop using the web
browser, through the command line, or any other way besides dragging the
file to the desktop, that that file should be placed in a more orderly
fashion (at the end of an available column, in a new column, or some
available spot in the grid, but not in-between the columns as it sometimes
does now.

My last point deals with renaming files.  Though this is not as important
as my other points, it would still add greater usability to KDE and I
would love to have this ability; it is the one thing I miss from Windows.
One way to rename a file in Windows is by clicking on filename once, and
then clicking on it again after a short pause (not a double click ... I'm
sure you know this behaviour).  Adding this would obviously would also
have to be tied to the kcontrol module for mouse peripherals.

Well, I know this probably isn't the easiest of tasks, but I think that
this would make the desktop much easier to use than it is now.  If I were
a coder, I would implement these changes myself and send patches, but the
only coding I know is Matlab ... not too helpful here :-).  Anyway, hope
these suggestions help and thanks to all the developers out there ... I
love KDE!!!!!!

Cheers,
Jesse

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