Re: [desktop] why kde and gnome's menu situation sucks
On 10/24/2002 9:07 PM, Malte Cornils at mcornils@cornils.net wrote:
> <LUSER'S ADVOCATE>
> Well, a task description like "Surf the web" for $BROWSER should be
> understandable for even the most clueless user, you could even dumb it down
> further by using a common but wrong terminology: "Surf the Internet". That
> one *is* going too far IMHO, but "Surf the web", "Check e-Mail", "Write a
> letter" and "Write a book" _are_ easier than "Web browser" (what's a browser),
> "Mail client" (a client? why should the user know? He may remain ignorant and
> still use the computer successfully), "Word processor" (a processor? ugh)
> and "WYSIWIM composition" (which would be LyX).
> </LUSER'S ADVOCATE>
>
Actually, Mandrake 9.0 has a set of menu entries that do EXACTLY what you
just describe. Some people despise it, and other folks like it. I am
undecided, but it is a way to try to help the totally clueless, insofar as
they can be helped I suppose.
> This level of debrainifying should only occur after the user has titled
> herself as "absolute computer newbie".
>
Hmm, that adds a bit of complexity, but it might be a good way to resolve
some of the criticisms of the idea you suggest that Mandrake ran into, i.e.
too much menu clutter.
Cheers,
Luke Seubert
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