Re: Some thoughts for the future

From: Mike McCarty (mike.mccarty_at_sbcglobal.net)
Date: 06/30/05

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    Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2005 12:57:52 -0500
To: Ben Steeves <ben.steeves@gmail.com>, For users of Fedora Core releases <fedora-list@redhat.com>

    Ben Steeves wrote:

    >On 6/30/05, Mike McCarty <mike.mccarty@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
    >
    >
    >
    >>Did you read what I wrote? I am asking for more ability to customize.
    >>And why should having multiple instances of an application running take
    >>up more resources? I happen not to like tabbed browsing. You do.
    >>Fine. How about a system that allows features to be disabled? Is that
    >>too much to ask?
    >>
    >>
    >
    >No, which is why there's already an extension (probably several
    >extensions) that can totally disable tabbed browsing. There's also
    >several extensions for making more out of tabbed browsing that FIrefox
    >does by default. The point is that there's already a framework in
    >place in Firefox for configuring its behavior -- even behavior the
    >designers didn't originally anticipate. Asking for another method to
    >do essentially the same thing is just adding to code bloat and
    >inefficiency. And that's already the trademark of a different OS.
    >
    >
    >
    Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I was making no objection
    to Firefox. I like it. And tabbing can (almost) be turned off.
    I was making a general statement about configurability. If one
    is going to the trouble to make a certain feature configurable,
    then it is little additional trouble to make one of the
    configuration items be "disabled". I most assuredly was not
    asking for "another method to do essentially the same thing".
    In fact, that's what tabbed browsing is. I already have a
    window manager on my system. Why another?

    Anyway, most of the options in FireFox have a "disable"
    as an option. For example, what they call "smart browsing",
    which I detest. But it is nicely configurable. If enabled,
    many options, and can be disabled. Perfect! But just down
    the same option page is "Internet Search", which CANNOT
    BE TURNED OFF. I happen not to like that feature, but
    I live with it.

    Also look at the configuration
    Edit->Preferences->Advanced->Mouse Wheel
    Tell me where one can disable that? Every combination of
    mouse wheel with something is required to do something.

    I find that, when scrolling with the mouse scroll wheel,
    I often inadvertently press it down, and get an action.
    I'd like to disable that "button", but I haven't been
    able to find where to do that. Gnome has a
    Preferences->Mouse->Buttons, but I see no way to disable
    the wheel button, or even set what it does, from that
    location. I suppose that somewhere there is a way to
    configure that. I just don't know where it is.

    As another example of the type of "limited imagination"
    in configuration options, consider the use of HTML in
    e-mail messages. The reader I use (Thunderbird) allows
    me to set the preferences of the recipients of e-mail
    I send. I can set it to "HTML", "Plain Text", or
    to "Both" (essentially, anyway). But I can't set my
    own preference. Interesting. There is no way for me
    to say "I prefer never to send HTML". Why? I can tell
    it automatically to convert the HTML it composes to
    plain text, but I can't compose plain text. I also
    can't specify a separate editor for it to use. Why not?
    Why must I be forced to learn a new editor for every
    tool I use? I have an editor. I like it. Why can't I
    just use it? I can select from various layouts for
    the windows, but I cannot just position the windows
    in my mailer.

    These comments are directed at code developers and maintainers.
    If they are adding a new "feature", and think it needs to
    be "configurable", then most of the hard part is already done.
    Just add one more option to disable it entirely, and the
    world becomes a wonderful place. One man's meat is another
    man's poison, as they say. Developers recognize this when
    they add configuration options. One more option to disable
    is not much.

    Speaking of code bloat, I find that it is not the hallmark of
    "another OS" at all. It is a general feature of all software
    today. "Garbage expands to fill all available space" is a
    general maxim. You might prefer the word "clutter". Another
    synonym is "software".

    I consider Emacs to be a prime example of code bloat. Why
    should a text editor be over 4 megabytes in size?
    I suppose you don't blame Bill Gates for Emacs.

    And Linux won't boot off of floppy anymore.

    I am contiually amazed at the amounts of memory/disc/cpu cycles
    developers take for granted these days. In fact, many seem never
    even to consider such issues at all.

    But I digress from Fedora issues.

    Anyone have any advice for my

    xterm: unable to parse color: e6e6e6
    xterm: unable to parse color: 000000

    problems I mentioned the other day?

    Mike 

    -- 
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I speak only for myself, and I am unanimous in that!
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