gnome-volume-manager blank CD defaults

[Panu Matilainen]

On Fri, 2004-10-08 at 18:43, Bryan Clark wrote:
> On Fri, 2004-10-08 at 09:23 +0200, Alexander Larsson wrote:
> > I think we should not open it. Not even in spatial mode. I'm off the
> > opinion that most "automatically open window that can disturb the users
> > workflow" behaviour is wrong, as it often interfers with peoples use of
> > the system.
> > 
> > What i'm saying is: putting an icon on the desktop or in the computer
> > location when you insert some media is fine, this actually helps the
> > user to easier access the media, and the visible change makes it obvious
> > the computer actually recognized that you did something. Poping up a
> > window over the current application can break the users current action,
> > plus it doesn't educate him on the interaction model we're trying to
> > plant in the users mind (that the cd icon on the desktop represents the
> > media).
> > 
> > Currently we don't pop up a filemanager window when you insert any other
> > kind of media, why should blank cds be different?
> 
> A filemanager no, but when you insert a Camera we ask if you want to
> import the photos (this isn't the best thing to do, but close).  The
> problem with only putting an icon on the desktop is that you're assuming
> that when I insert new media I've cleaned my screen of applications and
> can clearly see the desktop.  This isn't really an assumption we can
> make.  At the same time, a cluttered desktop could make it harder for
> people to see new items appear on it, we can't assume people have clean
> desktops and a new icon will be immediately visible.

Indeed, desktop cannot be assumed to be empty at the very spot where the
new icon happens to appear.

> 
> Popping up the filemanager, especially since burn:// is just a blank
> window isn't the best thing to do either.  What we should work on is
> improving our CD burning interface so it's not so bare.  

For blank CD's popping up a cd-burner is reasonably sane thing to do,
assuming the cd-burner can actually handle the situation. 

I once had, um, a session, with RHL 9 nautilus where nautilus didn't
know how to blank CD-RW's: Insert CD-RW, full of some old stuff in it. A
burn:// interface pops up, I drag stuff into it, let it burn. Didn't
remember the CD-RW was full, nautilus didn't realize it either (didn't
try to mount it either IIRC) but that didn't stop nautilus from trying
to put stuff into it. Big surprise the burn eventually failed and left
the CD device locked (or just otherwise totally confused state) despite
killing nautilus so I couldn't blank it with any other means either.
Reboot was needed to clear the situation, then turn off all the
do-stuff-on-media-insert things from nautilus settings. Finally I was
able to first blank the CD and put other stuff in it.

The above problem doesn't exist anymore as such, but the moral of the
story: if we offer something automatically we'd better be DAMN sure we
can cover all the sane things user might want to do in the situation
without having the user jump through hoops to work around the
"smartness" of the gui.

> 
> If we don't popup something at all people are like to assume we didn't
> realize that you inserted new media.  The persons work flow behavior on
> the desktop has already been interrupted by inserting a media device,
> giving them the option to begin using the media is probably the best
> next step.

Visual clue about "yes the computer realized something was stuck into
it" is good, popup windows are awful. 

> Ultimately I think using some kind of bubble up notification [1] might
> be the best thing in the short term.  What I'd really like to work on is
> to determine a way to figure out the work flow.  What I mean is, if you
> have Rhythmbox open and you insert a blank CD, we currently assume that
> you're going to want burn:// because that's our default CD burning
> system.  However, if Rhythmbox has CD burning facilities and you have
> the application open it'd be better to assume (or at least ask) that
> you're going to make an audio CD and not a data CD.  Yea, there's lots
> of edge cases either way, but I think this work flow idea is the best
> method to work towards.
> 
> Cheers,
> ~ Bryan
> 
> [1] One of those things from the systray area that doesn't steal focus
> and allows you to open up a CD burning app.

Oh yes. Please. An icon in systray is a clear, visible clue which
doesn't get in your way. Clicking on the icon can launch the default
application for the thing (CD-burner wizard asking the necessary
questions about audio/data-cd, digicamera app, file browser, whatever).
That should be both extremely easy for new users and unobstructive as
well.

	- Panu -