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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: About icon RMB menus
From:       James Richard Tyrer <tyrerj () acm ! org>
Date:       2003-11-27 3:45:55
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Hasso Tepper wrote:

> My main point is that most common actions shouln't be so hard to 
> access as mount/umomunt actions are at the moment in HEAD. Any place 
> in first level of menu is OK or at least acceptable , second level 
> isn't any more.

I am not really understanding what we are doing.

When I right click my CD-ROM desktop icon I get:

	Open
	Cut
	Copy
	Rename
	Move to Trash
	Delete
	Open With
	Actions =>
	Copy To =>
	Move To =>
	Properties =>

Now, "Open" is OK although it is totally redundant because that is what will happen if I 
just click on any desktop icon that points to a URL.

I am at a loss to know why I would want to: "Cut", "Copy", or "Rename" a desktop icon. 
And, I note that I can also rename by clicking on: "Properties".  Also, newbies seem to be 
confused by these options -- they sometimes don't realize that they refer to the desktop 
icon itself rather than the URL it points to.

I might want to "Move to Trash" or "Delete" an icon but not very often.  In fact I would 
suggest without a study to back it up that it is possible that with a desktop icon that 
these options are used more ofter in error than when needed.  You don't need: "Move to 
Trash" on a desktop icon because you can just do it -- drag it to the Trash Can.

You need: "Open With" only because the "Properties" widget still needs work.  Again, 
newbies don't know what is being opened.  Something like "Edit Icon" that opened KEdit 
might be clearer, or the option of editing the 'desktop' file with an editor might be 
better placed in the Properties widget tab.

I have to tell you that I don't like: "Copy To" and "Move To".  So, I would just forget 
about them.  To be blunt about this, it, I see no reason for them to be there.  I suppose 
that this is somebody's pet project and various people thing that it is cool (or Kool) but 
it shouldn't be on the context menu.

And then we have in the: "Actions" sub-menu:

	Eject
	Create gziped tar Archive
	Create bzipped tar Archive
	Create zip Archive
	Encrypt File
	Mount/Unmount

For some reason the actions often used with a CD-ROM "Unmount" and "Eject" have been moved 
to a second menu level.  I don't see this as an improvement since they are the ONLY two 
items that you need to use often.  And am I missing something here?  Are the second, 
third, fourth, and fifth items commonly used options?  Remember, these will act on the 
'desktop' file, not the URL that it points to.

I would suggest only one menu level:

	Mount/Unmount
	Eject
	----------------
	Open With
	Properties

To go on with this.  The second two are configuration options -- as are some (or many) of 
the ones I have suggested be removed.  Now, if we had somewhere to have a switch to turn 
them (the configure mode options) on an off we could greatly simplify things for the user. 
  If you turn it off, there should be an icon to turn it back on added to the system tray.

And if there is going to be a sub-menu, it should be for the options which are only used 
to configure the system, not for the two actions that you normally use.

--
JRT

--
JRT

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