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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Tabbed browsing vs taskbar grouping; a proposal.
From:       Maurizio Colucci <seguso.forever () tin ! it>
Date:       2004-03-01 10:26:52
Message-ID: 200403011126.53195.seguso.forever () tin ! it
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On Sunday 29 February 2004 23:58, Mikolaj Machowski wrote:
> Dnia Sunday 29 of February 2004 22:31, Maurizio Colucci napisał:
> > > > It is common for me to have many konqueror instances open at once,
> > > > each one in a different directory. I find this is useful because I
> > > > have some dirs I use very often: it is quicker to leave them always
> > > > open than to find them each time. The same goes for konsoles
> > > > instances.
> > >
> > > Why don't use bookmarks?
> >
> > This is a good suggestion. Unfortunately, 1) the approach is less
> > dynamic. I am forced to choose the dirs beforehand, which should not be
> > necessary.
> >
> > Furthermore, there are small annoyances with the KDE implementation: 2)
> > KDE truncates the names like this:
> >
> >   "/usr/local/bb...dfdfd/fdfd"
> >
> > which is unnerving to browse. This forces me to assign short names to the
> > bookmarks.
>
> But what if files have the same name? 

I don't see your point, since I am suggesting to show full paths.

> When working on different versions 
> of the same file-tree? Suppose this is the case, KDE-velopers are often
> working on the various versions of the same file-trees and truncating
> the names in this way is the best solution for them.
>
> OK. Konq (and all tab-enabled apps) should show last part of path and
> if file with the same name but in another location is bookmarked it
> should appear like "filename (2)".
>
> > 3) the bookmarks appear intermixed with the internet ones,
> > which makes me scan many more items than the simple list of directories.
>
> "Everything is URI". Personally I like this approach.
>
> > 4) there are the four special items: add bookmark, bookamrk tabs as
> > folder, etc.
>
> And?

You have to skip them with the mouse, because they appear on top of the menu.

> > > > 1) BAD ASPECT OF OPENING DIRECTORIES IN TABS
> > > > =========================================
> > > >
> > > > The problem of opening directories in tabs instead of new windows is
> > > > obvious: the full pathname doesn't fit in the tab. So, when you want
> > > > to find a particular dir, you end up pressing all tabs sequentially,
> > > > until you find it.
> > >
> > > Partial solution: tooltips for tabs.
> >
> > This is also a non-solution, because it is very unnerving to wait for the
> > tooltip to appear.
>
> And this is another cause for drastic shortening of time to show
> tooltip (another one: in Relevantive usability study, users didn't use
> tooltips because delay was too long).

Wait: what if we show full paths in tabs, with line wrap (without breaking 
words)?

   /mnt/hard-disk2/moved-from-
   root-due-to-lack-of-space/
   downloads


This would IMO solve every problem, making tabs actually usable. A bit taller, 
but so what?


>
> > > > No sane person would do that. :-) So, as far as I
> > > > understand, nobody would ever choose to open a new directory in a new
> > > > tab (unless his panel does not offer taskbar grouping).
> > > >
> > > > Notice this problem is not so dramatic when browsing the web: the
> > > > page titles are rarely very long, and they often have a different
> > > > icon. The problem is only serious when browsing the disk.
> > >
> > > Also you can use .directory file with Icon entry...
> > > [Desktop Entry]
> > > Icon=/usr/local/kde/share/icons/crystalsvg/16x16/actions/exec.png
> >
> > If you mean assign an icon to directories, well, I don't want to do this
> > by hand.
>
> Ha. I should use mouse, not Vim ;) RMB click on dir, Properties, click
> icon, choose icon and everything works (don't know why not when doing it
> in terminal).
>
> > OTOH, if the system were to assign icons automatically, and
> > consistently...
>
> Automat shouldn't have been here. Practically impossible to make it
> properly.


No, it isn't. We should have a dictionary word-->possible-icons, and do a 
subword search in the full path for some keyword.

BTW, Konqueror still doesn't show icons on tabs. Mozilla does.

> > > > Even better, we could do like the back button in mozilla: we could
> > > > split each taskbar button in two: one big, with the app icon, one
> > > > small, with the arrow pointing downwards. If you click the big one,
> > > > you go to the most recent konq window. If you click the small one,
> > > > the list of all open konq windows pops up.
> > >
> > > OK, but it should be something in manner of combobutton, like in rest
> > > of kapps.
> >
> > I'm not sure what you mean by combobutton...
>
> Eg. Back button in Konq.


Thanks
 Mau
> m.
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