mahajanudit
January 12th, 2012, 04:51 PM
Let me start by saying that I simply love "Unity". I initially hated it, but that is probably the transition from traditional gnome2 desktop experience to an entirely new one. I then switched to gnome3, cinnamon and also in fact moved back to gnome2. Eventually, then Unity grew on me. It somehow felt more stable in day to day usage.
I still hate the fact that its painfully slow and laggy, but I love the features it inherently comes with like alt+tab, the use of compiz window manager, switching inside the same application windows (atl+~) etc.
Now I have hated nautilus almost ever since I have started using linux. Don't get me wrong, I love the features in it but I hate the fact that even when everything in gnome is evolving leaps and bound, even despite making a gutsy move to gnome3, even after implementing an entirely new approach to desktop, nautilus somehow still remains the same. Its like the world around it keeps on evolving but it stubbornly refuses to do so. And this has been the story since last 5-10 years. Nautilus just does not change.
This gives birth to projects like Nautilus elementary and Marlin which people end up loving. Why? Nautilus, how so ever feature it is, really lags behind at one basic feature - BROWSING!. It almost gives up at browsing a directly with more than a hundred files/directories. It simply hangs and takes forever. It handles ftp and other protocols pretty well though, and as a developer it entirely eliminates the need to use even filezilla (that i why i mentioned I love nautilus features). But even as a developer I might use such features only 5-10% of my total time of using nautilus. Rest 90-95% of the time I spent browsing directories, where nautilus is simply painful.
I see windows explorer and Mac's Finder and somehow I can't help myself being envious of them. I ask myself, why after creating a desktop environment which stands second to no one, does gnome still can't do anything about nautilus. I don't respect windows and to be really honest not really a fan of Mac (gloried linux). But I do respect them for doing basic task. There is no security, there are literally no in-built tools to carry your day to day task, no extra driver support for that matter. But all this list and many more is capable of being dealt with. Ubuntu, Linux in general provides all of these but fails miserably at basic tasks. Take for instance, drawing the desktop. Auto arrange is a never ending debate; some say it should be there, others say its not required. But as an exercise,
1. open windows/ Mac on another system.
2. Have some sets of files on your Ubuntu Desktop as well as on windows and Mac. Include files which have thumbnails as well like Images, pdf etc.
3. Compare the neatness of Windows/Mac Desktop as opposed by Ubuntu one.
I am not saying its a must have features, but then the question is when we are at 2012, why are we stuck with looks and arrangements from the 90's? Anything that enriches the user experience, which is proven by other systems, should be incorporated in our Ubuntu too. Don't replicate the feature but build something even better around it.
I didn't raise this issue here because I thought it really doesn't belong here. Its a gnome issue. But now since ubuntu has done such a great job in providing an alternate desktop, though built over gnome. Why not have its own file manager? A file manager, something like Marlin, which caters to the need of the users.
I am not a fan of elementary project really if you ask me, but browsing through it reminded that we have killed the methodology on which linux was built. Again, don't get me wrong, i am not blaming gnome for it. They have done a brilliant job, but gnome handling everything when it comes to a desktop environment is not something Linux was built on. So why not Ubuntu come up with their own File Manager, much better/faster/stable/feature-rich than nautilus, and offer it as default in upcoming ubuntu releases. Then may be Gnome will adopt it as a default in its desktop as well.
Now for the solution:
Ubuntu should develop its own File Manager built entirely on feature requests from users and not developers. And yes this is coming from a developer. Because I can browse files in terminal as a developer, even in my IDE but when I am using nautilus it is largely as a user. This file manager should be built from ground up like projects such as "Marlin" (I apologize for mentioning some other project here, but I do believe we should learn from the good work others are doing), that shall cater to the basic requirements of browsing files and drawing a pretty neat desktop.
Ideas that I put forth are: (Lets call this file manager as "Warthog", name of first Ubuntu public release)
1. Warthog should work on using less resources while doing basic tasks such as browsing, thumbnail caching, copy, cut, pasting.
2. It should be optimized to work with large requests. These might include: browsing large directories, pasting large sized files/directories.
3. Warthog should include features from nautilus which helps developers. Like handling/storing credentials for ftp and other protocols.
4. It should draw a neat desktop unlike nautilus.
5. Warthog should support basic views such as icon, list, details, compact.
6. It should show selected file/directory basic information somewhere.
7. Design should be minimalist enough to give majority space to current directory.
8. Notifications should be handled in a better way. Like deletion confirmation should be elegantly displayed.
9. Icons should be neatly aligned in a grid.
10. Should support plugins for generic tasks like thumbnails generation.
11. Should have support for emblems.
12. Warthog should handle bookmarks which should replace in browse for various applications. For example a "Save as" dialog in a web browser should show these bookmarks.
13. Should differentiate elegantly between files/directories based on various parameters. Like for example: hidden files when they are shown should be somewhat faded, files which cannot be edit should be differently marked etc.
The above features are basic features which should be a "must have". But there are many other features which should be included as the development progresses since they do not really need to be in the initial release. Few of these are:
1. Option to align the icons in my desktop. With Unity bar having over the the left, icons on the desktop are too close to it. Also the traditional way of having the icon from left to right is a bit overrated. I have many of my friends/colleagues manually arranging the icons from right to left. It gives a better flow and I advice all of you to try it once, you will love it.
2. There should be a clear segregation between plug and play hard drives and in built hard drives. Something which windows handles pretty well. This again could be configurable and by default should be the way its been handled currently. But someone still might want to have their in-build hard-drives not shown and plug and play device. It somehow adds a better feeling while browsing such directories. Again, I understand the way mount works on linux, so I am just talking of giving a perception and not changing the way they are handled by the kernel.
3. File information should be configurable, as to what all should be displayed. The size of information bar/footer can be configurable and also the placement.
4. Drag and drop should be implemented in the way its supposed to be! Ever tried dragging and dropping a file from nautilus to some other application? It almost never works! and if nautilus is maximized, then there is no way you can drop the file to a background application. There is simply no way. In Mac/Windows, one could simply alt+tab while still dragging the file and simply switch to the application where one wants the file to be dropped. It helps a lot trust me! There might be many who would say otherwise, but I firmly believe that it does help.
5. Have tabbed and split features just like Nautilius. I think Nautilus nails these features almost entirely and to perfection.
6. Have the file information bar, preview the files. Like an embedded media player for audio/video files. I am not talking about the "space" (gloobus-preview) feature here, but something which allows user to preview certain files. I think "space" feature in images and documents is ridiculous! One might as well open it in the designated viewer, but this feature definitely helps in other media files.
I have written above features both basic and advanced out of my understand of usage. Others might have a different opinion. Some might even worship nautilus and such people will find this post as offending. But my wish here is lets make this discussion constructive so that Ubuntu in the coming years is even better than where it stands currently. I know, if this is implemented in Ubuntu, it will be a large leap for this distribution.
I still hate the fact that its painfully slow and laggy, but I love the features it inherently comes with like alt+tab, the use of compiz window manager, switching inside the same application windows (atl+~) etc.
Now I have hated nautilus almost ever since I have started using linux. Don't get me wrong, I love the features in it but I hate the fact that even when everything in gnome is evolving leaps and bound, even despite making a gutsy move to gnome3, even after implementing an entirely new approach to desktop, nautilus somehow still remains the same. Its like the world around it keeps on evolving but it stubbornly refuses to do so. And this has been the story since last 5-10 years. Nautilus just does not change.
This gives birth to projects like Nautilus elementary and Marlin which people end up loving. Why? Nautilus, how so ever feature it is, really lags behind at one basic feature - BROWSING!. It almost gives up at browsing a directly with more than a hundred files/directories. It simply hangs and takes forever. It handles ftp and other protocols pretty well though, and as a developer it entirely eliminates the need to use even filezilla (that i why i mentioned I love nautilus features). But even as a developer I might use such features only 5-10% of my total time of using nautilus. Rest 90-95% of the time I spent browsing directories, where nautilus is simply painful.
I see windows explorer and Mac's Finder and somehow I can't help myself being envious of them. I ask myself, why after creating a desktop environment which stands second to no one, does gnome still can't do anything about nautilus. I don't respect windows and to be really honest not really a fan of Mac (gloried linux). But I do respect them for doing basic task. There is no security, there are literally no in-built tools to carry your day to day task, no extra driver support for that matter. But all this list and many more is capable of being dealt with. Ubuntu, Linux in general provides all of these but fails miserably at basic tasks. Take for instance, drawing the desktop. Auto arrange is a never ending debate; some say it should be there, others say its not required. But as an exercise,
1. open windows/ Mac on another system.
2. Have some sets of files on your Ubuntu Desktop as well as on windows and Mac. Include files which have thumbnails as well like Images, pdf etc.
3. Compare the neatness of Windows/Mac Desktop as opposed by Ubuntu one.
I am not saying its a must have features, but then the question is when we are at 2012, why are we stuck with looks and arrangements from the 90's? Anything that enriches the user experience, which is proven by other systems, should be incorporated in our Ubuntu too. Don't replicate the feature but build something even better around it.
I didn't raise this issue here because I thought it really doesn't belong here. Its a gnome issue. But now since ubuntu has done such a great job in providing an alternate desktop, though built over gnome. Why not have its own file manager? A file manager, something like Marlin, which caters to the need of the users.
I am not a fan of elementary project really if you ask me, but browsing through it reminded that we have killed the methodology on which linux was built. Again, don't get me wrong, i am not blaming gnome for it. They have done a brilliant job, but gnome handling everything when it comes to a desktop environment is not something Linux was built on. So why not Ubuntu come up with their own File Manager, much better/faster/stable/feature-rich than nautilus, and offer it as default in upcoming ubuntu releases. Then may be Gnome will adopt it as a default in its desktop as well.
Now for the solution:
Ubuntu should develop its own File Manager built entirely on feature requests from users and not developers. And yes this is coming from a developer. Because I can browse files in terminal as a developer, even in my IDE but when I am using nautilus it is largely as a user. This file manager should be built from ground up like projects such as "Marlin" (I apologize for mentioning some other project here, but I do believe we should learn from the good work others are doing), that shall cater to the basic requirements of browsing files and drawing a pretty neat desktop.
Ideas that I put forth are: (Lets call this file manager as "Warthog", name of first Ubuntu public release)
1. Warthog should work on using less resources while doing basic tasks such as browsing, thumbnail caching, copy, cut, pasting.
2. It should be optimized to work with large requests. These might include: browsing large directories, pasting large sized files/directories.
3. Warthog should include features from nautilus which helps developers. Like handling/storing credentials for ftp and other protocols.
4. It should draw a neat desktop unlike nautilus.
5. Warthog should support basic views such as icon, list, details, compact.
6. It should show selected file/directory basic information somewhere.
7. Design should be minimalist enough to give majority space to current directory.
8. Notifications should be handled in a better way. Like deletion confirmation should be elegantly displayed.
9. Icons should be neatly aligned in a grid.
10. Should support plugins for generic tasks like thumbnails generation.
11. Should have support for emblems.
12. Warthog should handle bookmarks which should replace in browse for various applications. For example a "Save as" dialog in a web browser should show these bookmarks.
13. Should differentiate elegantly between files/directories based on various parameters. Like for example: hidden files when they are shown should be somewhat faded, files which cannot be edit should be differently marked etc.
The above features are basic features which should be a "must have". But there are many other features which should be included as the development progresses since they do not really need to be in the initial release. Few of these are:
1. Option to align the icons in my desktop. With Unity bar having over the the left, icons on the desktop are too close to it. Also the traditional way of having the icon from left to right is a bit overrated. I have many of my friends/colleagues manually arranging the icons from right to left. It gives a better flow and I advice all of you to try it once, you will love it.
2. There should be a clear segregation between plug and play hard drives and in built hard drives. Something which windows handles pretty well. This again could be configurable and by default should be the way its been handled currently. But someone still might want to have their in-build hard-drives not shown and plug and play device. It somehow adds a better feeling while browsing such directories. Again, I understand the way mount works on linux, so I am just talking of giving a perception and not changing the way they are handled by the kernel.
3. File information should be configurable, as to what all should be displayed. The size of information bar/footer can be configurable and also the placement.
4. Drag and drop should be implemented in the way its supposed to be! Ever tried dragging and dropping a file from nautilus to some other application? It almost never works! and if nautilus is maximized, then there is no way you can drop the file to a background application. There is simply no way. In Mac/Windows, one could simply alt+tab while still dragging the file and simply switch to the application where one wants the file to be dropped. It helps a lot trust me! There might be many who would say otherwise, but I firmly believe that it does help.
5. Have tabbed and split features just like Nautilius. I think Nautilus nails these features almost entirely and to perfection.
6. Have the file information bar, preview the files. Like an embedded media player for audio/video files. I am not talking about the "space" (gloobus-preview) feature here, but something which allows user to preview certain files. I think "space" feature in images and documents is ridiculous! One might as well open it in the designated viewer, but this feature definitely helps in other media files.
I have written above features both basic and advanced out of my understand of usage. Others might have a different opinion. Some might even worship nautilus and such people will find this post as offending. But my wish here is lets make this discussion constructive so that Ubuntu in the coming years is even better than where it stands currently. I know, if this is implemented in Ubuntu, it will be a large leap for this distribution.