Re: How to install X-Chat in five hours (or more)
Hi,
On Tue, Aug 05, 2003 at 11:06:53PM +0200, Tollef Fog Heen wrote:
> * Emile van Bergen
>
> | Hi,
> |
> | On Tue, Aug 05, 2003 at 10:19:53AM -0700, Ian Hickson wrote:
> |
> | > And I would scream if you called it "/_My_ Variable Data/" too... :-P
> |
> | I would even scream at
> |
> | /Variable Data/
> |
> | simply because it encourages slow and RSI-inducing click and drag
> | behaviour, because such path names are impossible to type in (and this
> | one even requires escaping the space to distinguish between the argument
> | separator).
>
> Tab completion or using /Va* is about as fast as /var.
I've considered tab-completion and /Va*, but you must realise that they
work only in the shell.
Neither tab-completion or globbing is available when I'm editing a file
and have to write those path names. There are lots of other cases where
you must type a pathname in full. scp (on the remote side) is one that's
important.
/Va* further has the problem of requiring two awkward shifts.
[SNIP]
> Geeks use systems a lot and for long periods of time, so using more or
> less obscure interfaces is good, not bad for us.
>
> :)
I think that we prefer interfaces are ultimately very fast and are
willing to live the learning curve and obscurity that currently comes
with it.
There may be an inherent tradeoff, but I think that we shouldn't be too
quickly in dismissing UI changes that improve the linearity of the
learning curve, if they can be shown not to harm the efficiency at the
end of the curve.
Of course, any change that actually shifts the balance from convenience
for the frequent user towards ease of use for the incidental user should
IMHO be treated with a lot more scepsis -- if not outright rejected.
Cheers,
Emile.
--
E-Advies - Emile van Bergen emile@e-advies.nl
tel. +31 (0)70 3906153 http://www.e-advies.nl
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