Re: Re: about the "Recent Files" feature

[Guido Gonzato <ggonza@xxxxxx>]

On Fri, 11 Apr 2003, John E. Davis wrote:

>   That is the way it currently works.  However, Guido was arguing that
> it should be enabled by default.  Guido, why do you want this to be
> automatically loaded?

because of consistency with any application I'm aware of that has a recent
file list. In all such applications, the user gets the list at the bottom
of the File menu by default (and usually cannot disable this feature). Jed
works the opposite way, you don't have it unless you explicitly enable it.

For experts and reasonable people, no problem.

But I often take my design decisions looking at my Guinea pigs: a few
hundreds of Computer Science students who work in the computer labs I
manage. I've often realised that very few of them take the time to read
the docs. Rule of thumb, they start realising it's important when they
reach their third year - and have wasted a lot of time by using the wrong
tools or using the right ones badly.

Typically, they'll say: "Hey, the XXX editor has feature Y and Jed
doesn't. Duh. Why should I use it?" Then, my reply: "Haven't you read the
manual? To do Y you just have to do Z" "...uh... why isn't this enabled by
default? It's very useful!"

That's why I think that "Recent Files" should be loaded by default. Just
my opiion, anyway!

Have a good weekend,
     
     Guido =8-)

-- 
Guido Gonzato, Ph.D. <guido . gonzato at univr . it> - Linux System Manager
Universita' di Verona (Italy), Facolta' di Scienze MM. FF. NN.
Ca' Vignal II, Strada Le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona (Italy)
Tel. +39 045 8027990; Fax +39 045 8027928 --- Timeas hominem unius libri