"Documents" path usability issues.

[James Richard Tyrer]

Thomas Zander wrote:
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> 
> On Tuesday 2 August 2005 06:18, James Richard Tyrer wrote:
> 
>> What this setting actually does (as opposed to what it is misnamed)
>>  is that it is the default folder for KDE applications to load or 
>> save ALL data files from or to
> 
Perhaps it would have been clearer if I had said: "ALL *user* data 
files" -- actually, I think I simple left the work out unintentionally.

What I mean is that such user data files should include photos, images, 
graphics, etc..  Not just wordprocessing and other office documents -- 
all user document files.  Some seem to insist that the folder should be 
called "Documents" and should only contain files that are in some strict 
sense "documents".  As I said, calling it documents causes confusion.
> 
> Thats not true; not user visible data files are saved somewhere else.
> 
I believe you have misunderstood what I meant.  Configuration files and
administration files are clearly to be saved somewhere else.  These are 
not what would be called "user documents".

> Only user documents are saved in the document dir.

Yes, that is correct.  But others have said that only "documents" should
be saved in that folder, and I don't know what they mean by documents
except that it is clear that it is much more restrictive that what you
are referring to as "user documents".

I think that you are agreeing with me but taking issue with my choice of
words. I am talking about the data files which applications work on.
Like I said, wordprocessing files, spread sheets, image files, graphics,
etc., but NOT configuration, installation, and administration files.
That is my whole point -- to separate these two classes of files.
> 
>> Various specious arguments and useless discussions have occurred 
>> [snip]
> 
As I said, such arguments seem to be based on the definition of
"document".  I do not wish for this to be the situation.  I have been 
told that some users don't think that their photo are "documents" but 
clearly they are still "user files".
> 
> Actually; you bring this issue up every 2 months and everyone just 
> disagrees with you again and again :)

I do not bring usability up every 2 months, I work on it all the time.
As for this specific issue, I didn't bring it up this time, Kévin Ottens
brought the issue up.  He said various things on kde-core-devel that 
don't make much sense to me.

I would like to see a satisfactory solution to the issues.  And, I would 
like to see a more useful discussion than what has previously occurred.

I hope that I have clarified what I meant and regret that it was vague 
to the point that you misunderstood.  I speak only American English and 
it is not a very precise language. :-)

-- 
JRT