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Re: Installer UI advices


From: Jesse Ross
Subject: Re: Installer UI advices
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 07:09:56 -0600

/
|
+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | | | |
bin dev etc tmp usr
|
+--+--+
| |
bin tmp


/usr
|
+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | | | |
bin lib etc tmp opt
|
+--+--+
| |
x y



That's interesting... hearing the original meanings for usr and etc makes them make more sense. My qualm with the *nix file structure is not so much not understanding the naming and organization of it, though. It's the fact that the 95% of users shouldn't have to see it. Non-power users don't _use_ computers -- they use applications. The more elements of the computer's environment they have to see, they less they can concentrate on the things that they are trying to do and the longer it will take them to do the things that they are trying to do. Very rarely will the average computer user be doing anything outside of their home folder. The only examples I can think of are:

- installing new software
- transferring files to another user on the same computer
- looking for an application
- changing configuration settings
- getting lost

If there are applications or shortcuts for the first four, they will never have to leave their home folder and the last one will never happen. Additionally, consider the following:

You receive a package in the mail that contains some family heirlooms. However, when you open the package, you find, not the heirlooms, but 5 additional boxes, all labeled, but in a language you do not know. You have been told that inside one of those boxes is a box with your name on it. Find that box and open it and you will get the heirlooms, but don't even look at or try to open or do anything with any other boxes. If you try to, either: a loud buzzer will start ringing until you stop touching the box, or, if you successfully open the box and do anything with the contents, you may have destroyed all the other boxes, including your own and the heirlooms.

That's your *nix file hierarchy as seen by most users. Even if we do need all the other boxes, wouldn't it be kinder on the user if all they ever saw (unless they flipped a toggle that said "Show full file system") was the contents of their home folder at the root level?


Granted, most of this has no bearing on GNUstep proper, for it's food for thought for anyone maintaining or considering maintaining a distro geared toward end users.


J.



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