gnome-volume-manager blank CD defaults

[Jeff Spaleta]

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 16:32:15 -0700, Jon Savage <jonathansavage at gmail.com> wrote:
> I hate that behavior. It is OK as a user configurable *option* but
> makes for a poor default IMHO since more often than not I'm inserting
> a blank cd intending to burn something using my app of choice & have
> to wait for the silly burn:// folder to come up, 

Now see here's the problem... you have an application of choice... you
know what you want. I'm not really sure defaults are meant to
primarily address the needs of users who know which applications they
prefer. You have a preference, the preference dialogs are there for
you to use to set your preference.

For users, who do not have a preference already, the defaults need to
present reasonable sane and intutive behavior. Users who do not have a
preference, are not informed enough to use the preference dialog to
customizes their environment, the defaults need to provide reasonable
functionality without demanding users to make a choice or state a
preference.

A poor default for me, as a competent, well informed and technically
inclined power user with years of linux experience could easily be the
best, most sane and intuitive default for an inexperienced user who is
unfamiliar with specific linux applications. I know enough to
reconfigure my system better for my needs, and my knowledge empowers
me to use the tools at hand to mold the environment to my will. It's
an absolutely trivial burden for me to go to the preference dialog and
turn off the automounting/autobrowsing features of the volume
management and I'm sure its an absolutely trivial burden for you as
well. If having automounting and autobrowsing of media on by default
makes the system more approachable and easier to work with for a new
user and empowers them to use the system more fully and more often,
I'm all for it even though i have absolutely no desire to ever use
that feature for myself.

-jef