[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: [KDE Usability] Users cannot find where to "safely remove" USB
From:       Jan-Christoph Borchardt <jan () inquata ! com>
Date:       2010-04-11 16:17:40
Message-ID: j2ve1a40fbe1004110917t1bb2d92axffc9f081b36da3de () mail ! gmail ! com
[Download RAW message or body]

On 11 April 2010 18:04, Dotan Cohen <dotancohen@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> USB sticks can be pulled out at will, this is not a CDROM that needs a
>>> physical eject mechanism.
>>
>> Actually, that is exactly what's missing. I assumed hardware developers
>> omitted device locking because the technology ensured safe removal.
>>
>
> No, USB was intended for connecting peripherals, not removable
> storage. The connectors are not even reliable for repeated plug/unplug
> cycles, that is why one must take care to pull _out_, not to shake
> back and forth.
>

That is of no interest for the user. Nowadays USB is highly used for
removable storage, operating systems need to adapt to that. All the
time some system is not used for what it was intended; but it is used
because it serves a need.

>>> > It is no longer a human error for a user to remove a device while it is
>>> > being accessed. It is a system error if it results in data loss, or
>>> > worse, corrupts the device. or causes a lock-up.
>>>
>>> That is naive and ideological.
>>
>> Perhaps, but doesn't change the fact that systems don't handle unexpected
>> removals cleanly and users may remove sticks somewhat randomly.
>>
>
> I agree with you 100% here. The computer should adapt to the human,
> not the other way around.
>

So true. But then why do you expect the following?

>
>>> Some users do not understand what 4 GB
>>> means, they cannot fathom that it takes more than a nanosecond to
>>> transfer.
>>
>> ... and therefore cannot know what safe removal means. The reasoning should be
>> followed to its logical conclusion. imho, the system is supposed to serve the
>> user, not the user the system. Users should not be expected to handle system
>> events (insert/removal) when they're presented with a virtual view (desktop
>> metaphor) of the system.
>>
>
> I do expect that the user will at a minimum know to wait until the
> computer says "you can remove the device now", whether that be due to
> the computer's instigation (as is the idea under consideration) or due
> to the user asking (by using the "Remove Safely" mechanism).
>

You can not expect that. When I want my device removed, I remove it.
Be it by error or out of panic after detecting that I am about to
overwrite some important files. The system has to flatten that out.

Also, with the  »feature « of safely removing available and advocated,
everyone does it even when the device is not doing anything or has
long finished reading/writing.
_______________________________________________
kde-usability mailing list
kde-usability@kde.org
https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-usability

[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]