An image: Compose email and attach with this file (thunderbird, evo), Convert to jpeg/png/… (convert), Resize (convert), Publish on the net (cp ), Send to buddy (gaim), etc etc.

Document: Convert to pdf (ooo/abiword), send as email, etc..

I think you know a lot more stuff to do with your files…

]]> http://blogs.gnome.org/michiels/2005/10/31/taskdriven-actions/comment-page-1/#comment-15 Daniel Alonso Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/michiels/2005/10/31/taskdriven-actions/#comment-15 We got dogtail, why not use it to drive applications. Distributions could ship with a series of predefined actions, and the user could be able of store new procedures/macros.<p/>The menu could be inteligent enough to reorder the menu entries based in their frequency of use, and hide the less used ones under a "More actions..." menu entry.<p/>Just my two cents. We got dogtail, why not use it to drive applications. Distributions could ship with a series of predefined actions, and the user could be able of store new procedures/macros.

The menu could be inteligent enough to reorder the menu entries based in their frequency of use, and hide the less used ones under a “More actions…” menu entry.

Just my two cents.

The ideq’s summary is:
- Main entry point for people are tasks (view photo, listen music, send mail, write letter, view movie…) – because people don’t know programs (xine, vlc, mplayer, evolution, gthumb…)
- As there may be a lot of tasks, put all knowledge in a database
- As information like “evolution send mail” is not subject to version number, keeping an updated database for major available programs should not be a big deal.
- If program able to do a task is not installed, use the distribution packaging to install it automagically.

I made different database content prototype but I was not able to go further.

Take a look at deverne.free.fr. It was not updated for a long time but there is explanation about “task driven desktop”.

Denis

I hope it could get into gnome quickly!

THAT’s the way to simplify the use of the desktop!
Love it, really!

The applications are already well categorised, so Joe User is already going to see “Ah the Applications menu, my email client must be up there somewhere….” “… Ah, internet, is it in there? What about Office”.

Now, when the hoevers the cursor over the “Evolution Email” icon for more than 2 seconds, a further submenu (stick with me here… a sub menu may not be the way, but it definitely needs to be something “appearing”) flys out containing a list of no more than 7 actions associated with that application. Clicking an action will open the application ready to perform that action, or clicking the application icon will start the application as per usual.

Further to this, you’d need a spec in the .desktop files to assign “known actions” to an application. Gnome would have predefined known actions (as a previous poster mentioned, there could be many, and a schema approach could permit new applications to install new actions, though there would have to be a limit somewhere). The .desktop for an application could contain a KnownActions section, list a known action (for e.g. “SendNewEmail”), and pair it with the commandline arguments / other command to run to complete that action from the application.

Seems a bit zany I know, but I like the current menu spec, and I’d rather see an extension to that paradigm than the introduction of another panel top level menu item.

Feel free to email me at jon_cooperuk@-nospamharvesting-hotmail.com with any discussion relating to this idea.

I tried to think of what my parents do with their computers. My father mostly creates new menus (he’s a chef) and my mother mostly listens music and reads news on the web.

Now think about the applications installed on your computer. There are dozends. And each of them has about two or three “actions”. This results in a very big menu. And as we all know; big menues are useless.

Back to my parents. The tasks my mother needs (“Browse the net” and “Listen to music” are to ambiguous to be helpful. Listen to what music? Browse what internet site? All this task-starter can do ist start the right application, not more.

Almost the same goes for my father. He mostly copies an old menu and just makes the changes. What task would be the right for him? “Create a new text document by copying the date from a new one?” Hell, what a name.

I do think that task oriented GUIs are the future. I do not think however that this is the right way.