From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Dec 2 19:13:04 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C7C4C1065670 for ; Tue, 2 Dec 2008 19:13:04 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: from gizmo.acns.msu.edu (gizmo.acns.msu.edu [35.8.1.43]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 701218FC13 for ; Tue, 2 Dec 2008 19:13:04 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: from gizmo.acns.msu.edu (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by gizmo.acns.msu.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6) with ESMTP id mB2J862H091067; Tue, 2 Dec 2008 14:08:06 -0500 (EST) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: (from jerrymc@localhost) by gizmo.acns.msu.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6/Submit) id mB2J86TM091066; Tue, 2 Dec 2008 14:08:06 -0500 (EST) (envelope-from jerrymc) Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2008 14:08:06 -0500 From: Jerry McAllister To: Bob McConnell Message-ID: <20081202190806.GA91047@gizmo.acns.msu.edu> References: <20081202162808.GA5851@kokopelli.hydra> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.2i Cc: Chad Perrin , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD and hardware?? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:13:04 -0000 On Tue, Dec 02, 2008 at 01:41:43PM -0500, Bob McConnell wrote: > On Behalf Of Chad Perrin > > On Mon, Dec 01, 2008 at 01:25:24PM -0500, Bob McConnell wrote: > >> On Behalf Of Chad Perrin > >> > >> On the other hand, both Unix and Linux have a long way to go before > they > >> can match Microsoft's ease of use on the GUI. I believe the best way > >> to attack that problem is to find a new paradigm to replace the > desktop, > >> which is not a great interface model to begin with. > > > > I guess that depends on your definition of "ease of use". In my > little > > world, "ease of use" involves the ease, efficiency, and speed of task > > completion via an interface with which I'm familiar. It seems from > what > > you said that in your little world "ease of use" means "familiarity", > > since that's really the major win for MS Windows interfaces, to the > > majority of its users. > > Here are two simple tests for ease of use. > > 1. View a tree of files and directories, some local some remote mounts. > Highlight a random group of those objects. Move the entire group in one > motion by dragging and dropping the collection to a new location in the > tree. That's easy. Actually easier with just a simple mv command. Who cares about drag and drop. That is harder. > > 2. Do an SMB mount of remote directories onto the desktop or your home > directory. Open any application and access files in that directory as > easily as when they are on the local drive. Works fine around here. ////jerry > > I have not been able to do either of these on Ubuntu 7.10 or > XFCE/Slackware 12. In the first case, I need to cut and paste the > individual files one at a time. I can't even move a directory. In the > second, I have been unable to get Amarok, vlc, xine or any other > multimedia application I have tried, to recognize the SMB mounted > directory. It is invisible to them. At the application level there > should be absolutely no difference between a local drive and a mounted > remote drive, no matter what protocol was used to mount it. The > application should not need to implement smb:// itself. > > I am not even going to talk about how difficult it is to find and modify > basic configuration files, particularly after the LSB crowd really > screwed everything up. > > Once you fix basic problems like these, then we can talk about how to > redefine ease of use. > > Bob McConnell > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" >