[REBOL] World Wide Rabbit - and what can be done to fix it?
From: jason:cunliffe:verizon at: 19-Oct-2002 19:38
Hi
After playing with Java Web Start, it is clear that REBOL better get its
View/Desktop act together fast or else be run over by a fleet of snarling
coffee-cups.
http://java.sun.com/features/2002/10/webstart.html
I ran View/Desktop -first time for a while as my default is shell mode].
gee: There are now about 130+ rebsites..!
A. This is good news.
B. This is bad news.
Why?
Because there is a golden moment for Rebol to really shine in contrast to the
Java Web Start, but we still have a semi-implemented View/Desktop interface. One
which is not designed to cope with large or growing number of rebsites...
Is there some new/better version I missed?
WHAT'S WRONG WITH View/DESKTOP [Top 5]?
1. DISPLAY MODES
No scrollable list 'mode' to display sites as alternative of big icons
- 1st column: name and perhaps mini-icon,
- 2nd column: the descriptor
- 3rd column: add some other metadata such as popularity, age, last visited,
last changed, number of files..
2. SEARCH 'n SORT
There is no built-in 'search' or 'sort'
doh..why why why ???
With a list such as the above one should be able to search and sort.
- take a look at Limewire for example of a pretty neat interface:
http://www.limewire.com/
- It won't be long before Sun copies that for their Java Web Start front end
3. STATUS
No indicator of on-line or off-line status.
- How hard would it be for to at least ping/poke all the rebsites and then ghost
out the off-line ones?
- How hard to add some RIM or Jabber-like presence messaging to improve that
idea?
- How hard to indicate? Maybe use a Red Dot on any sites who wish to let people
know they had something new. Even better a way so that when you go there it will
be obvious what is new. Once visited the dot becomes very muted in color. But
the site owner decides when they no longer want to display it as 'new'.
4. FEEDBACK
No feedback indicator of rebsites already visited, or not.
- At the very minimum, Desktop needs to do what HTML has been doing for 10+
years:
>>> Give users simple graphic feedback of what they have already visited. <<<
There are lots of cheap fast way to do this which Rebol/View is eminently
capable of supporting.
- Especially when one is new, visiting 130+ sites is fucking confusing. Most
have several levels anyway, and default to the same style.
5. BOOKMARKING
No fast and friendly way to bookmark sites our group theme in convenient sets of
'favorites'.
- Yes you can make your own rebsite, and then set it up to add links to others.
But that's dumb. No doubt ther are others strategies people use with user.r
Rebol/View already has a caching scheme. It needs to use it for more than just
code. So that people can quickly add and delete named groups of sites or
sub-sites, pages or files. IMO These belong on their own new REBSITES MENU and
one should be able to select it any time to time:
ADD current rebsite to group
..etc
What do you think?
./Jason
