I support the motion that Delete Temp Files is dangarous and not very useful operation, as compared to instead using the same menu spot for Browse User Folder, which will have Delete among other useful things. Moreover so that now temp is under user in j602.
--- Kip Murray <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > My use of J is similar to Fraser's! Kip Murray > > > On Tue, 18 Dec 2007, Fraser Jackson wrote: > > > Chris Burke wrote: > > I am in two minds as to whether anything is required here. However, I do > > think that delete all temporary files would be the more useful option, as > > rarely do I want to delete a specific temporary file. After a bit, the > temp > > directory is filled with junk, and you just want to clean the whole thing > > up. > > > > Anyway, I put a File|Delete Temporary Files menu item in the latest > scripts, > > and we can see if it turns out to be useful. > > For me, the temp file is a convenient immediately accessible file which has > lots of small, often one off tasks or snippets which I may want to refer > back > to. I normally write a first line which provides me enough detail about the > task for later reference. If I begin to use material in a script more > frequently I save it with a name but in the temp directory. As an aide > memoir > I have a utility, firstline'' which displays the file name and firstline for > all scripts in temp as default, but works for any directory. > > I think the J environment has been developed with a primary focus on > programming and system development, not on its use as an interactive working > environment. The project manager is great for managing a system development > project, but is not oriented towards a data analysis project, which is the > sort of thing I am commonly engaged in. > > For that, having the simple accessible system provided by storing and > accessing stuff in \temp is invaluable. Some stuff stays there quite long > term. Other bits get embedded in a system, or at the end of a project get > filed away as a record of what was done. Having the ability to flexibly > modify the current folder used for such a \temp storage location would be a > useful enhancement. In the dbeta Edit\Configure\Folders enables setting > ~user, but that is not the default directory for \temp. > > Temp provides a simple default filing system within which there is a > sequential record of the scripts created and used. As such it is extremely > useful. In such an environment, a single file deletion is fine, but erasing > the whole record of such activities could be very costly. > > Essentially I want you to think seriously about the needs of users who are > not > primarily programmers, who have complex data analysis tasks where the tree > of > steps they take evolves as they expand their understanding of the problem, > and > where a record of the sequence of their steps is important to them. For > them > the present Temp file mechanism is a flexible and valuable tool. Erasing > everything in it is the last thing one is interested in. If we really want > to > expand the user base of J we need to address the needs of such users and not > create simple routes to dangerous actions. > > Fraser > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > > > Kip Murray > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.math.uh.edu/~km > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
