further thoughts on file manager vs web browser

[Aaron Seigo]

On September 26, 2004 7:18, Stephan Binner wrote:
> When now reading that you're seriously considering that, I have to ask: You
> want to make this "split of file manager and web browser" optional, right?

i suppose that depends on how it is implemented, and how flexible that 
implementation is ... 

> I want to continue to use file and web browsing within one Konqueror
> window, either in the same main view or besides each other in split views
> or tabs.

i don't think that will be limited. 

> I do not want more than one Konqueror window/taskbar entry. I do not want
> spatial-like new windows popping up when entering an URL or following
> links.

i think this was just one suggestion by Waldo on how to deal with moving from 
browsing to file management and back. personally, i don't see any problem 
with allowing both to happen in the same window and even provide a way to 
manually switch modes  (or open a new window) just as we do with profiles 
today.

> I want to keep my one bookmark file with both file browsing and web urls.

i haven't heard someone suggesting they be split up at this point. perhaps i 
missed that one?

> Of course I do think that the current concept can be improved, e.g. kparts
> telling what kcms shall appear within the "Configure Konqueror..." dialog:
> If you can only configure khtml shortcuts and khtml related toolbars when
> a khtml kpart is active, why should other khtml configs always been shown?
> The same applies to file browsing-only related settings vice-versa.

the problem here being that in our current "mixed mode" it's really not 
apparent what is happening. when you have multiple tabs open, some with file 
management and some with web browsing going on, do we show both sets of kcms? 
what about the configs for other kparts besides khtml? this just doesn't seem 
to be a very clean concept as it will make what appears in one dialog depends 
on what's being viewed in another window. yes, we already do this for 
shortcuts, but that doesn't make it good ;-)

> Concerning the Home URL: Introduce "home url categories" (even if only two)
> within the shell and let kparts specify if they want to belong to one or
> stay neutral. khtml will use 'Web Home'. The kparts browsing files will use
> 'Filebrowsing Home'. A pdf kpart will be neutral which will lead to usage
> of the home category which the last used kpart specifying one said.

is this really something that belongs to kparts, as it's rather konqi specific 
and kparts aren't?

> The 
> shell has one setting for all categories (default $HOME). Profiles can
> specify none, one (random) or all home urls with different values.

yes, this seems something better suited to profiles (as the recent patch did)

>    Steve (give me a few days to think and I will change my mind - not ;)

hehe... well, at the same time, please consider all the benefits this brings 
as well.

-- 
Aaron J. Seigo