On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 1:57 AM, Kao Chen <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi Giovanni! > >> >> I've seen your page and I must admit I like it. Just I think the >> "Desktop" is not the right concept here. In fact, the desktop >> metaphor, while being very familiar to users, has some limits: >> - like wooden desktops, it tends to become a mess; > > > It's already a mess. I don't know anybody capable to keep a desktop clean and > a strict folder organization.
That's exactly why we should not encourage such behaviour. >> >> - it requires you to minimize the current windows (something we should >> avoid given the difficulty to restore a window). > > > It's a big problem in my opinion, if we can't minimize windows we can't use > the only desktop folder we have. > >> >> In addition, the GNOME 2 desktop implementation has some more >> "flaws" (as I see them): >> - it mixes volumes (USB, SD), network shares, standard icons (Computer, >> Trash) with real existing files > > > I don't understand, don't we already do that? Yeah. I pointed out it is a GNOME 2 flaw. Changing it would be appreciated, at least by part of the users. >> >> - being a Freedesktop, it uses $XDG_DESKTOP_DIR (and assumes there is >> one such directory) > > > I know it's a big change ;) > >> >> Therefore I think that projects should be moved to a separate ~/Projects >> directory, and that an extension be made to Shell to add either a >> Plasma-like widget to the background, clearly distinguished from the >> remaining ~/Desktop, or something like the proposed Task Pooper, >> overlaying windows from the bottom. > > > I have made a mockup with a Plasma-like widget but it just hided a > unnecessary desktop because at this time we are working in a project. I > deliberately decide to not use widget and directly put the documents on the > desktop. > http://nsa15.casimages.com/img/2010/05/02/100502065741947598.png But the difference is that a desktop is spacially organized: you can put files here and there, icons are not all the same size, some appear in random locations... A FolderView, on the other hand, is always aligned and looks definitely cleaner. Plus it is a widget, not an empty space: it can have icons, thumbnails can be put aside with some description, you can use column view, list view or grid view, you can have like multiple tabs (like separating URL from applications from documents) and most important it scrolls, meaning that you get more space for more documents. >> >> Also, I think that instead of fixed directories like ~/Projects/Work and >> ~/Projects/Home, we should add tags in each directory, using a .project >> file, or extending current .directory syntax. In particular we should >> avoid dot-files whenever possible, as GtkFileChooser showes them >> randomly > > > I prefer working in a desktop folder, because in my idea I display the folder > in full screen. But the desktop folder, being some sort of temporary pastebin for stuff yet to classify, is not a project, which is organized and tightly coupled. Also, not having a desktop in the background prevents fast handling of asyncronous interrupt. Think of evolution notification, new mail, has attachment: where do you save it for later handling? it goes to the desktop, even if it is completely unrelated to your current task. > But if we can tag any folder, and transform it in a desktop folder, it's can > be interesting. I didn't mean any folder, any meant any folder in ~/Projects, that is putting project folders directly under the main project dir, without intervening classification. It is technically impossible to make any folder anywhere a project by using .project, as it requires opening any folder shown in Nautilus. Could you imagine the mess with automount? You could go with xattrs or gvfs-metadata, but I don't think that is the best way. Also, we should decide what the content of project dirs should be: should it make sense to cd to a project dir? Should it hold files, symbolic links or just .desktop files? Is the idea to just cd ~/Project git ssh://random.location/repo.git cd repo/ <start working> or you want a more complex user interface concept? > For technical questions, it seems important to have a draft copy on a USB > stick and go with all the elements the most easily possible. > For technical questions, it seems important to easily copy on a USB stick and > go with all the elements as simply as possible. > > kind regards, > Kao > > >> >> Giovanni >> >> > 2010/5/8 Virgil Brummond <[email protected]> >> > Kao Chen, the idea about projects seems great. Just have an >> > activity and >> > drop it, though I think it might be better if you drop it >> > twice to just >> > move all the currently open ones to the workspace in question, >> > and not >> > open another copy of them. What do you think? >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > gnome-shell-list mailing list >> > [email protected] >> > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-shell-list >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > gnome-shell-list mailing list >> > [email protected] >> > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-shell-list >> >> > > _______________________________________________ gnome-shell-list mailing list [email protected] http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-shell-list
