On Fri, 14 May 2004 17:06:56 +0200 Matthieu Moy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> "Ted Zlatanov" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > On Thu, 13 May 2004, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > >> I'm not sure that "reaching more users" should be the goal of Ion. > >> Reaching more like-minded users is more like it. > > > > I respectfully disagree. Users have to be converted to Ion, because > > it's so unusual for a window manager. Thus, concentrating on > > like-minded users ignores the people who need Ion but don't know so. > > This includes people with RSI, for instance, because Ion is so good > > for mouseless usage. > > Other window-manager now try to implement ideas from Ion. Their > priorities may be to reach more users. I don't think this is the > *priority* for Ion. > > But still, I agree that if we can get something *in addition*, that > would be perfect :-) Getting more users is not a Bad Thing. I do not suggest that you should try to make Ion the most widely used WM out there, but you should not be so afraid that "reaching more users" would force you to compromise what makes Ion great. Making it easier for new users to switch to Ion is in fact a Good Thing. I switched to Ion from Gnome 2.4 in January this year after a friend convinced me to give it a go. Despite the novelty of Gnome 2.6 I have stuck with Ion for a number of reasons. Shifting windows or my position to use the mouse instead of the keyboard have never been any of my favorite pastimes, but I do understand the advantages of simple point & click interfaces. As a new user I found Ion somewhat confusing, but it did not take long before I started to experiment and I have gone through a few default sessions since. However some users who would eventually come to like Ion will never get past the first confusion. I do not suggest that you make Ion more like Gnome or that you change the basic philosophy simply to get more users, but do not let that stop you from making Ion friendly to new users. This could include, but is not limited to: * default session configurations to choose between. * more intuitive bindings to switch between tabs, frames and screens. * pre-defined kludges for a few common applications. * Ion users updating the Wikipedia with their own favorite configurations and applications. I have found that the more I use Ion, the more I like it. There is nothing wrong with giving more people the chance to come to the same conclusion. -- Mats.
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