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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Some misc. usability suggestions
From:       James Richard Tyrer <tyrerj () acm ! org>
Date:       2005-05-13 15:12:00
Message-ID: 4284C3C0.8040404 () acm ! org
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Joseph Garvin wrote:
>> Linux normally has 10 Consoles that are called Virtual Terminal 1,
>>  Virtual Terminal 2, etc..  These are abbreviated vt1, vt2, etc..
>> 
>> You can have multiple X sessions running at the same time on the 
>> same machine.  The first X session is called: :0, the Second one is
>>  called :1". etc..  Now I don't know why they use a ":" but that it
>>  how the sessions are named.
> 
> 
> Yes, but joe blow guy coming to desktop linux for the first time who 
> is probably only going to ever touch the console to troubleshoot 
> anyway shouldn't be expected to know this.

Actually, he isn't expected to know it, that is why the information is
in parentheses.

> People shouldn't need a lesson in the architecture behind X to to 
> understand the menus.

I don't think that you need to understand the menus.  You just need to
know the user name and/or the session type.  OTOH, it is helpful to know
the VT number in case you want to use the keyboard to switch.  Perhaps
it is also useful to know the X session number.  Obviously you have to
know the VT number for "login" sessions to tell which is which.

> You and I may understand that X has a client/server model but to my
> grandma it's just "the computer." Most users can't separate the idea
> of the DE from the OS, let alone understand virtual consoles, and my
> understanding is that KDE is user oriented.
> 
The question is whether dumbing down UNIX is a good or bad idea.  I say, 
that we should add GUI for everything, but dumbing it down is not a good 
idea.
> 
>> Now, I don't know why you say that these terms are scary or why 
>> there would be anything wrong with them.  Perhaps you have better 
>> suggestions.
> 
> 
> I would just have the name of the user. /If/ there are multiple 
> sessions, point that out, because if users have created multiple 
> sessions then they probably know what they're doing. I wouldn't 
> display the console info at all unless some option was checked.
> 
This is another suggestion that falls under the general idea of having a 
beginner/advanced switch somewhere.
> 
>> There is also: "myuser".  What is scary about your user name.  How 
>> can you switch users without the user name.
> 
> 
> I included it for completeness. The username is friendly.
> 
> 
>> What does bother me is "default".  Not because it is scary, but 
>> because it shouldn't say that.  If you have a KDE session, it 
>> should say: "kde".  this is clearly a bug.  If you start a new KDE 
>> session for another user, then that one will say it is "default" 
>> and the original one will then be "kde".  Very odd.
> 
> 
> Another bug for 3.4.1? :) 

I also find that I have a session root: "TTY login (pts/4)".  Since I 
can NOT switch to this, it shouldn't be listed.

-- 
JRT
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