[PATCH] Konqueror about

[James Richard Tyrer]

Lauri Watts wrote:
> On Wednesday 06 July 2005 12.08, James Richard Tyrer wrote:
> 
>> Attached is my patch against 3.4 Branch to make changes I have
>> suggested to the first page of "Konqueror Introduction"
>> 
>> Specifically:
>> 
>> "Home Folder" is changed to "User Files" and the icon for it is
>> changed to "gohome" so that it will always display a house.
> 
> 
> These two seem to directly contradict each other; Always display a
> house (why? because users understand the metaphor? or that it's their
> 'home' location?) but change the name (thereby breaking the very same
> metaphor?)

Because some of the: "kfm_home" icons show a house in front of a folder
which clearly means Home Directory.  I have no problem with someone
making a new icon for "My Files" but I don't want to use the "Home
Folder" icon.

> The whole 'home' concept is remarkably easy to explain, and to
> understand, widely used both within and without KDE.

Is it really easy for users new to KDE and Linux.  Remember that on
Windows the folder is not $HOME like some have said.  The "My Documents"
folder is a subdirectory of the directory that is the user name just
like I am suggesting:

	C :\Documents and Settings\<user_name>\My Documents

     	/home/<user_name>/Files

So I don't see anything simple about explaining that it is different in
UNIX and that the user should store their personal data files in the
same folder as a lot of configuration stuff.

> I would like to see the icon change, but I'm strongly opposed to the
> name change.
> 
The name "User Files" describes exactly what the location is to be used
for.  OTOH, it would also be possible to set it up with just a little
more code so that if the Documents path was set to $HOME that it would
still say Home Folder.  But, I think that is a bad idea -- having the
default be $HOME since I don't think that we should encourage the
practice of storing user files in the $HOME directory.

Remember, we are talking about trying to improve usability for new users.
> 
>> The URL for what is now: "Home Folder" is changed so that it is the
>> URL set in the Control Center in:
>> 
>> System Administration -> Paths: Documents path
> 
> 
> That's a rather big conceptual change to spring.  Home is *HOME* not
> the documents folder.

Is it really.  If you don't store your documents in $HOME, then the
actual $HOME directory is a place that you don't go very often.  I have
been using this setup for some time so I know more about it.  With this
setup, $HOME is a place you go to ONLY when you want to do
administration and configuration functions.  $HOME/Files is where you go
all the time to work on documents.

> I agree with David here: Add Documents, if it's set and !HOME and
> call it that, don't mix it up with home, which already has a meaning
> of it's own.

What meaning does HOME have to new users and when and why do users want 
to go there if all of their data files and documents are stored in 
$HOME/Files?  Since user don't actually use HOME much (if their 
documents aren't stored there), why should it have such a prominent 
location?

-- 
JRT