Re: [libreoffice-design] 3 problems

Christoph,

No, I don't see anything in the "new features" that addresses the problems I
listed.  Let me try again:

1.  The "ghost" icons I described in my original post can be see at:
http://www.wiseware.com/LibreOffice/GhostIcons.jpg

2.  Create a new text document, type something, save it.  No press the
ALT-F(ile) key combination.  Notice that the "Save" item on the File Menu is
disabled.  This means that if you are a user habituated to ALT-F-S, you end
up "stuck" in the File Menu and you have to press ESC to return to your
document.  (Yes, I know that users habituated to CTRL-S don't have this
problem, but that's not the point.)  Why penalize users by requiring this
extra key-stroke just because they tried to save the current document when
it didn't need saving.  Don't we want to encourage even such
over-conscientious users to save whenever they happen to think of it.  Real
writing is an on-again-off-again sort of thing.  One spends a good deal of
time just staring at whatever paragraph happens to be on the screen at the
moment.  So the phone right, and you come out of that chance and before you
answer the call, you press ALF-F-S just in case you hadn't thought to save
before you went into your trance.  And when you do that (i.e. press ALT-F-S)
you end up stuck in the menu (and you are annoyed).  MS Word does not do
this.  WordPerfect never did it.  Why must writer do it.  The right thing is
never to disable the "Save" item.  The system can avoid wasting its time by
simply ignoring the unnecessary save command without "punishing" the user
for issuing it.

3.  Open a new writer document.  Notice that the window has the usual "X"
window close button, but below that, in an otherwise empty bar that runs
across the screen, there is another, smaller "x' that closes only the
document.  Now open a second document.  In this new window, there is only
the "X" window close button (i.e. the document close button is not where to
be seen).  True, using the window close button in this second window returns
you to the first document, but why show this inconsistent interface, i.e.
why not make all document windows identical?.  Of course, if LO would switch
to (in my opinion) the vastly preferable Multiple Document Interface, that
redesign would likely solve this problem.

Thanks,

James






On Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 12:39 AM, Christoph Noack <christoph@dogmatux.com>wrote:

> Hi James,
>
> this looks like a feature that had been added (but it was also new to
> me), see "Easier navigation in Writer documents":
> http://www.libreoffice.org/download/new-features-and-fixes/
>
> Is this what you've been referring to?
>
> Cheers,
> Christoph
>
> Am Mittwoch, den 26.01.2011, 14:10 +0100 schrieb James A. Schulz:
> > Paulo,
> >
> > I don't have a wiki page, but you can see the jpg at;
> >
> > http://www.wiseware.com/LibreOffice
> >
> > James
> >
> > 2011/1/26 Paulo José <pauloup@gmail.com>
> >
> > > Hi James!
> > >
> > > Can you do upload the GhostIcons.jpg image to your wiki user page? The
> mail
> > > listing don't allow attach, so we can't see these icons.
> > >
> > > Thank you in advance! :D
> > > ~Paulo
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 26-01-2011 10:30, James A. Schulz wrote:
> > >
> > > > 1. The current version shows two "ghost" icons (toward the left) in
> the
> > > > standard tool bar:
> > > >
> > > > [image: GhostIcons.jpg]
> > > >
> > > > These are not disabled items from the list of available buttons;
> neither
> > > > appears anywhere on that list.  So, what are they, and where do they
> come
> > > > from?
> > > >
> > > > 2.  I tried to make this point (and the next one) with OpenOffice some
> > > > years
> > > > ago, but it never got any traction with them: it is a mistake to ever
> > > > disable the "Save" item on the file menu.  Even when a save would be
> > > > pointless (because nothing has changed) the user should not be
> penalized
> > > > (by
> > > > requiring an extra key stroke to escape from the file menu) for making
> the
> > > > unnecessary save.  Users should be encouraged to save as often as it
> > > > occurs
> > > > to them to do so.
> > > >
> > > > 3.  Given that the MDI is written in stone, it is still a mistake to
> show
> > > > in
> > > > the first window a "document close" button, and then not show that
> button
> > > > in
> > > > subsequent windows.  This kind of inconsistency only confuses users,
> and
> > > > makes them less likely to switch to LibreOffice.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks,
> > > >
> > > > JAS
> > >
> > > --
> > > Paulo José O. Amaro
> > > Computer Science Student
> > > Federal University of São João del-Rei
> > > WebDesigner / Linked Empresa Júnior
> > > Blogger / casatwain.com
> > >
> > > --
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