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List:       kde-look
Subject:    Re: kde's future
From:       rik () kde ! org
Date:       2001-01-10 2:06:12
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#if Friedrich W. H. Kossebau
> * creation of document by RMB on Desktop or konqwindow that said I
> have to stress my wish for an extended 'new' menu with subfolders!
> 'New/Letters/Official' would be a quick thing to create a new official
> style letter that is then opened by KWord. Or 'New/Icons/KDE
> Default-Style/Document' to create a new icon based on   the default
> KDE-Style document icon that is opened by the icon editor.  Mostly I
> am already in the place I would like to store that file so I do the
> click for 'new' there.
> 
> No more need to tell the app where to save a newly created file.
> Only fill out the naming dialog that pops up before the file's
> template is copied.

That's great, but I just tried to figure out how the 'New' menu would
look, and getting that right seems difficult. I've spent a while on
it now, and there's so much ambiguity, lack of context, etc, to deal
with, that I'm not sure it'll work. Not wishing to put a damper on this
nice idea, perhaps you can come up with a good example of how this
menu would look for us :)

> * opening of document by RMB on file on Desktop or in konqwindow, or by
> drop on an app's symbol or an already running app 

Yep, these things we have, at least.

> BTW: When is the drop of an document on a running application meant
> to open a new window, when    to insert that file into the actual
> loaded?  IIRC in alternative os (w, mo) there is usually the second
> option used, which is more intuitive to me, too. So I would vote for
> carefully rethinking the actual way in KDE.

Last time I used an 'alternative' OS (actually a very mainstream one,)
I was irritated by the fact that when I dropped a file on one app,
it 'inserted' it (actually, placed an icon and said something about
object linking.) Then I dropped a file on another app (web browser)
and it loaded it.

Sure, the web browser isn't an HTML editor, so it has no option but
to load, but it has an 'Edit page' option in the menu.

Anyway, back in the world of KDE, I know that inserting is theoretically
more logical, but I find loading the file more logical in practice.

> * automatic saving on leave as default basic version control could be
> reached by having an option to revert to file's state of opening time
> (autobackup uses temp-file with automatic restortion if needed), and
> undo buttons 

Yes. I remember discussing this a while ago. I wish I had time to work
on it :(

> * copying/moving by dragging and dropping an document symbol (see
> khexeditor!) from the toolbar opens the question what to do if file is
> copied and content in app has already changed.  should be directed to
> the user :-)

Probably copy the file in its current state. I think that would
fit the Principle Of Least Surprise (one of my favourite principles.)

> All this could be accessible while still offering that old fashioned
> way. Those who like this way could simply remove the new/load/save items
> from the menu and add a draggable document icon to the toolbar. Latter
> lacks support in almost all apps by now. But perhaps it is simply done
> by using khexeditor (is there another app beside offering this?) as a
> template :)

Would be very easy to hack into other apps, I think.

> Here I would like to introduce another wish I have: 
> Could there be toolbar profiles for the menu/toolbar settings? That way
> it would be quickly done to change the layout with customized toolbars.
> Or even better: load the apps with a parameter which profile to use. So
> I could define Kwrite with one profile for cpp-files, and with another
> one for pure txt-files. Makes even more sense when having EA.

Nice, but definitely one for the experts, or the pure document-centric
desktop, where the user doesn't notice they're using the same app,
because they're just editing a document.

> Oh if I only were a millionaire: I would give up my studies and do only
> KDE coding. But I'm not :( So forgive me my demanding ideas. You should
> know I have another lot still inside my head. 

Well, feel free to spill them out. Hopefully there are some developers
reading this and they will be inspired. I'm already inspired, but I'm
already busy :(

> Sun doesn't see the moon I don't either

Try looking up. It's usually in the sky, but sometimes you can catch
it wandering around in a lake.

Rik

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