[ubuntu-art] next meeting

[Andrew Laignel]

Sumit Chandra Agarwal wrote:
> I do like this idea very much, but I think there would be a lot of 
> resistance to it as I think people like having their desktop as a junk 
> store.
> Or maybe they're just too used to the idea.
> But it gets a thumbs-up from me! Its mildly annoying to me that 
> Firefox/etc don't use the home folder or home/downloads as the default 
> save to.
>
If you think about it files should go in /home/ and nowhere else.  
Storing them on the desktop is about as sensible as storing them in the 
system tray.  It's only the colossal weight of history behind the whole 
'save to your desktop' thing.  It just means you have more places to 
check when looking for things.

A solution may be to treat the desktop as /home/ - so it is the same 
place - only by default do not show any icons or folders.  Clicking the 
Home Folder Icon will display in the gap to the RHS a box with the 
files/folders that is navigable.  If it loses focus, or you click the 
icon again, it would disappear.  Dropping files on the desktop would 
copy them to /home/

While on the subject someone mentioned splitting files and folders 
distinctly, IE put the rows of folders at the top of the window, a small 
gap, then the files.  This would help people differentiate between whats 
in a folder, and other folders.

Webmaster, Jhnet.co.uk wrote:
> The proposition of a new menu is a good idea however I do not like the 
> menus that people are coming out with that work like the 
> SuSE/KDE4/Vista menus - how is it possibly a good idea to 1) Have a 
> programs list that *SCROLLS*, 2) Have all the programs at the top of 
> the menu (when you open the menu by clicking something underneath it). 
I think the main menu bar needs to go at the bottom, otherwise it makes 
it harder to deal with the full screen windows.  I don't think inversely 
sorting it is a good idea either so that little extra mouse movement I 
think may be unavoidable.  :)
> Sure we need a better system but whatever is invented should not be a 
> traditional pop up menu. What would probably be a very good idea is a 
> task bar widget that displays your most frequently used/last used 
> programs as shortcut icons next to the traditional menus. This means 
> that it is accessible to newcomers because they don't need to actively 
> do something to put the icons there, adds the functionality of a 
> recently used list (which KDE has had for eons), but most importantly 
> it gives *single click* access to programs!
That may work.  Firefox + Thunderbird are 'pinned' - maybe pinned 
software should display as icons on the quicklaunch - so anything you 
use regularly = 1 click.  Say the top 5 items on the recent list display 
as icons in the quicklaunch.  This may confuse people as they would 
change without user intervention so maybe pinned only is best?

Travis Watkins wrote:
> Actually, the desktop effectively does not exist exactly because it is
> covered almost all the time. This is probably why people don't worry
> about using it as a junk store, they never see it unless they're
> diving in there to get something anyway. Kind of like the junk drawer
> on your real desk. :)
>   
It's more like leaving junk on your desk when you should put it in your 
drawer, to the point your desk just becomes another storage area (bad) 
instead of a useful place for doing tasks (good).  Can't find you phone 
because of all the crap on your desk?  It's the same thing.

My point is that the desktop should be used more as a form of UI, not as 
yet another place to store files. By mixing app launchers, shortcuts and 
files on the desktop you confuse people about what does what.  Generally 
if someone has a desktop covered with crap its because they don't 
understand the computer well enough to know that they should keep it in 
/home/.  Forcing good practice isn't really a bad idea.