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List:       kde-bugs-dist
Subject:    [Bug 109934] Mouse pointer has "no access" shape during drag over
From:       Maurizio Colucci <maurizio.colucci () gmail ! com>
Date:       2005-08-03 14:25:10
Message-ID: 20050803142510.1709.qmail () ktown ! kde ! org
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------- Additional Comments From maurizio.colucci gmail com  2005-08-03 16:25 -------
> i'm not particularly convinced at this point; if we show it as an allowed drop then 
> it should pass that url on to the application. you can't actually drop the item on 
> the taskbar, so the icon is correct. feel free to add additional argumentation / 
> reasoning on this matter if you wish and i will consider re-openning it, but at this 
> point i'm not in favour of this change.


Ok, I took some time to think about it. ;-)

In my opinion, Aaron, you are making the mistake of not taking all the
variables into account. You are limiting yourself to the strict and
literal meaning of the mouse shapes ("no-access = you cannot drop
here, everything else = if you drop here, something useful will
happen"), and are ignoring some important side facts:

1. the user may not be _aware_ of that meaning, and interpret the
shapes another way (e.g. "no access = your mouse should neither drop
here nor even enter");

2. the _round_ shape of the no-access icon makes it very difficult to
point precisely, and therefore encourages to use the latter meaning,
and discourages yours. It's as the mouse where saying "See? I became
circular because I don't want you to aim accurately; because you
should never have got here in the first place; go away."

3. the usual driving-related meaning of the icon ("no access") further
encourages to understand the wrong meaning.

4. even someone who consciously knows your meaning could nonetheless
feel a bit annoyed, both because the circular shape makes it
objectively difficult to aim, and because the no-access icon acts on
the subconscious, and triggers an uneasy feeling of doing the wrong
thing. We should take psychological aspects with a bit more
consideration.


How to solve this? I believe the problem is at the roots: the mouse
can be used in so many ways that any attempt to partition it into only
two "meanings" is no more appropriate and is guaranteed to create
problems. At least a third, intermediate meaning must be acknowledged:
"you cannot drop here BUT you are allowed to hover here". And a new
shape should be introduced to express that meaning. I suggest using an
arrow with a small "no-access" sign below it. (In any case, it is
necessary that this icon allows you to aim accurately.)

If you are still not convinced, please consider that I am a veggie too :-)
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