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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Desktop being $HOME
From:       "Aaron J. Seigo" <aseigo () olympusproject ! org>
Date:       2002-12-02 6:25:34
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On Sunday 01 December 2002 04:08, Gav Wood wrote:
> > look them up, how? in the file manager, which defaults to $HOME? or by a
> > file dialog which also defaults to $HOME?
>
> or by the most obvious place - the place right under your nose. the easiest
> to see place. the place that your screen defaults to showing when you log
> in.
>
> that place? the desktop.

i almost never see my desktop. why? because i use applications all the time. 
like web browsers and word processors and email apps. they obscure the 
desktop. so it isn't the most obvious and easiest to get to place once you 
actually start working.

how many icons do we see on recent releases of other desktops? why?

> the benefits are (though you probably read my previous mail on the subject)
> --- that i found --- that having Desktop==~ makes for consistency (sp?) and
> a common anchor between the cli, the gui and unix in general.

again, this is because you use the desktop as a dumping place for documents, 
icons, etc... this is becoming a less and less common way of working, because 
many (most?) people find it difficult and less productive to do so as opposed 
to using file managers and file dialogs.

let's face it, if i have dozens of documents on my desktop, it takes forever 
to scan them. so you organize them into folders to limit that problem. then 
when you click on one, you have a file manager. why not just start with a 
file manager?

> for people that want to (or generally are forced to, on occasion) use both
> this makes life and learning just that little bit easier.
>
> it also forces me to keep my $HOME clean,

an interface isn't there to enforce "good habits". closer to the truth is that 
it's goal should be to work with all habits... i couldn't keep my home 
"clean" if i wanted to, i simply do to many things that are widely diverse. 
you can keep your HOME clean all you like, though... the interface needs to 
work with both and all in betweens.

> something i was guilty of
> neglecting before i made the switch and something i am grateful for ever
> since.

glad it's working for you. =)

- -- 
Aaron J. Seigo
GPG Fingerprint: 8B8B 2209 0C6F 7C47 B1EA  EE75 D6B7 2EB1 A7F1 DB43

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler"
    - Albert Einstein
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