Path: utzoo!telly!attcan!uunet!crdgw1!barnett
From: barnett@grymoire.crd.ge.com (Bruce Barnett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: What can't it do? <Was Re: Rumor -> Loss of...
Message-ID: <BARNETT.90Jul12094938@grymoire.crd.ge.com>
Date: 12 Jul 90 13:49:38 GMT
References: <886@mdavcr.UUCP> <28778.269229da@vaxb.acs.unt.edu>
	<1990Jul8.220052.24143@spectrum.CMC.COM> <2977@tellab5.tellabs.com>
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In-reply-to: awessels@walt.cc.utexas.edu's message of 11 Jul 90 20:16:05 GMT

In article <33804@ut-emx.UUCP> awessels@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Allen Wessels) writes:

>>   c) clicking through nested levels of folders

>   As opposed to typing a monstrous pathname to the target file?  

Wrong answer. I cut and paste long pathnames on my Unix box just fine.
It's like selecting icons, except they are filenames. And when you
consider filenames can have embedded spaces and foreign characters, I
could cut and paste Kanji filenames, even if I could not type them on
my keyboard.

Another method that some Unix boxes support is "Drag and Drop", where
you can drag the file/object from the "finder" (or another
application) to the desired application, which then
opens it. This should be object oriented e.g.

	Drag it to a trashcan to delete it

	Drag it to a printer to print it

	Drag it to a tape to archive it

	Drag it to an application, which will open it, include it, etc.
	depending on the type of object selected and the
	application running.

The Standard GetFile dialog is just awkward, especially when you want
to handle two different contexts/applications. Much better to augment
the selection mechanism that already supports multiple contexts (i.e. Finder)
than to use a mechanism that forces you to repeat actions over and
over again.




--
Bruce G. Barnett	barnett@crd.ge.com	uunet!crdgw1!barnett