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Superfile – A fancy, pretty terminal file manager

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Re: Superfile – A fancy, pretty terminal file manager

#161

Post by friend_and_foe »

eviks wrote: post #150
friend_and_foe wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, but most GUIs are built with the mouse in mind, and at best slap some ctrl keybinds on as an afterthought. Hamburger menus and flat whitespace are cumbersome.

Is it better to have nothing instead of a hamburger menu like this app does (according to its screenshot)? Also, what isn't flat in this app?

It doesn't have nothing. It has keybinds. There's nothing to click on, but still plenty to do, and you can do it with more than one finger.

Flat... Whitespace. In modern graphical applications, nothing is broken up in your field of view, everything is an object on a slate. There's no organization, no context grouping objects together that help you understand how to interact with them, they're not ergonomic. Contrast that with this, while it's not a perfect example, there are clear borders, clear sets of interactions, the mind can formulate a procedure by looking at the organization of everything in front of them. It's almost like fonts, some fonts are better for readability, others are just ideas people had that might help that don't work out, and others are just there to look fashionable. UI maps and interactive flows can be easy to understand at a glance or look pretty but not give the user much of a clue what to do with what they're looking at.

Re: Superfile – A fancy, pretty terminal file manager

#166

Post by satvikpendem »

eviks wrote: post #149
satvikpendem wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They can but not always. For TUIs, it's mandatory.

Shortcuts, the things that actually make keyboard faster, aren't mandatory in a TUI

They're not mandatory, and indeed, less likely, in GUIs anyway, so I'm not sure the point you're arguing is with you.

Re: Superfile – A fancy, pretty terminal file manager

#167

Post by eviks »

satvikpendem wrote: post #166
eviks wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shortcuts, the things that actually make keyboard faster, aren't mandatory in a TUI

They're not mandatory, and indeed, less likely, in GUIs anyway, so I'm not sure the point you're arguing is with you.

The point I'm arguing with is your made up benefit of TUIs re. keybinds

Re: Superfile – A fancy, pretty terminal file manager

#168

Post by eviks »

friend_and_foe wrote: post #161
eviks wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it better to have nothing instead of a hamburger menu like this app does (according to its screenshot)? Also, what isn't flat in this app?

It doesn't have nothing. It has keybinds. There's nothing to click on, but still plenty to do, and you can do it with more than one finger. Flat... Whitespace. In modern graphical applications, nothing is broken up in your field of view, everything is an object on a slate. There's no organization, no context grouping objects together that help you understand how to interact with them, they're not ergonomic. Contrast…

> It has keybinds.

Which are invisible. Unlike with the menus that show you keybinds right next to a command, and have Accelerators where you can use keyboard to navigate the list visually with the keyboard instead of having to remember all of the keybinds. (unless you mean web apps, but then this app doesn't run on the web, so that comparison is moot)

(by the way, "most" clis don't support any keybinds, they're using command line flags)

> Contrast that with this

I have, taking a very common app for comparison - Windows File Explorer. It has borders (and nicer ones at that as they don't need waste the width of the whole char of space because they're not text), and also same groups (left pane)

> clear sets of interactions

Can you list a clear set of interactions with the Clipboard panel in the bottom-right (can you rename a file from there? drag&drop it away? delete a file / delete from the clipboard), and where this clarity is coming from

> Flat... Whitespace

Seriously, this file manager is a flatly designed app!, just go through the checklist:

Flat design is a modern design style that consistently maintains minimalist, 2D features. Here are six signs that what you’re looking at is flat design.

Contrasting colors: often bright colors, flat design relies on distinct contrast to send visual cues to users.

2D styling: simple shapes and no realistic images.

Simple typography: typically sans-serif fonts are the choice of flat design. It loads fast, it fits with minimalist style, and it’s easy to read.

White space: negative space helps designers indicate which part of the page they want users to focus on and makes the website more readable.

Grid-based layouts: usually flat design is symmetrical and uses a grid for the layout and hierarchy.

Simplicity: symbolic icons, abstract forms, no textures, and no gradients.

https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ui-design/what-is-flat-des...

With the exception of borders, which are less common in other flat designs

Re: Superfile – A fancy, pretty terminal file manager

#169

Post by satvikpendem »

eviks wrote: post #167
satvikpendem wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're not mandatory, and indeed, less likely, in GUIs anyway, so I'm not sure the point you're arguing is with you.

The point I'm arguing with is your made up benefit of TUIs re. keybinds

TUIs, in general, are more amenable to keyboard navigation than GUIs are; id est, even if GUIs offer keyboard navigation, they are simply not, on average, as good as those of TUIs. I'm not sure how that is controversial in the slightest.
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