Hmmm > Having said that, I totally agree that we should strongly discourage > applications to install launchers on the desktop... if we could find a > way to prevent that whilst still allowing the user to create their own, > I'd be entirely in favour.
I realize this is a very window-centric view, but often times users appreciate having a new icon on their desktop for a new application. It is many times the users only feedback that anything actually worked. Also, in user tests they often mention things like "I have an icon on my desktop for..." where it refers to anything from bookmarks to applications to documents. Now I totally agree that this gets really annoying to many people since it can make for a cluttered desktop. It is also silly that in order to launch an application you have to minimize applications so you can see your desktop. With that said, it makes one wonder why there is so much inconsistency with how users launch apps and things. My main point here is that just because some people like to keep a clean desktop, it doesn't mean that others are wrong for having a messy one. To many people the desktop is a manageable space for them to put all their files, bookmarks and everything else. They never have to think about things like file system or where things are. They just go to their desktop and start looking. I am not saying this is ideal mental model but rather just pointing out that it can still be a very valid model for using a computer. Eric _______________________________________________ Usability mailing list [email protected] http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/usability
