> On 03/24/2010 03:21 PM, Karl Günter Wünsch wrote: >> On Wednesday 24 March 2010, Alexandre Prokoudine wrote: On 3/24/10, Karl Günter Wünsch wrote: > This is ludicrous - how would anyone trying to use the keyboard learn the > different mnemonics available? I would imagine by holding down the ALT key -- a necessary precursor to actually using the mnemonic keystroke and thus a logical, intuitive, and discoverable action. If it is OK to presume that a user already knows that the ALT key is associated with accessing menu items (this association had to be learned somehow, it is not intuitively obvious), what is wrong with presuming that they will likewise learn that holding down the ALT key will reveal the underlined letters? Quoting Jason Simanek <jsimanek@xxxxxxxxx>: > The shortcuts should definitely be shown while using the mouse. Who came > up with this idea? I know this isn't the GTK+ mailing list, but > seriously, how is this an improvement? Were the drop down menus getting > too wide with the included shortcuts? Were they interfering with > legibility? Why are they trying to fix problems that don't exist? The mnemonics are unrelated to GIMP's keyboard shortcuts (which will still be visible in the menus, unless the user has specified otherwise in his gtkrc). Personally, I never use the menu mnemonics in GIMP because keyboard shortcuts are much more efficient and are also dynamically configurable (surely hitting the "+" key is simpler than ALT+V, ALT+Z, and ALT+O). To me, having random letters underlined in menus and dialogs is just visual noise cluttering up the interface. As a final note, the attention given to discoverability for facilitated access to commands or advanced features need not be so strict as that for "normal" workflows. If there is an easily discoverable way to accomplish a task (e.g., through the menus) then there is nothing wrong with a more convenient method also being provided which might not be readily apparent (perhaps only learnable by reading the manual or tutorial). Advanced users will learn to avail themselves of such optional conveniences without requiring prompting from talking paperclips or animated walkthroughs, and the neophytes are better off not being confronted with the additional complications. _______________________________________________ Gimp-developer mailing list Gimp-developer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx https://lists.XCF.Berkeley.EDU/mailman/listinfo/gimp-developer
