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Slashdot | Why Users Blame Spatial Nautilus
Spatial (multiple windows) VS single window navigation. The thread and associated links (spatial article) only nick the edge of browser/file-system navigation. The problem is that single window navigation has a huge number of possibilities - browser, tree, icon, split... - and is not of itself a form of navigation.
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The Spatial Way
Object Oriented Metaphor (spatial) VS Navigational Metaphor???. The so called Navigational Metaphor example is as basic and bad as single window navigation gets, there's no menu or tree or split window or... Single/multiple windows, MDI's, etc. all have their uses...and a well designed single window with menu/tree will provide more efficient navigation so maybe the metaphors are apt.

Personally I'd like to see file-system navigation work like a well designed website with an expanding/collapsing menu, look ahead/behind linking, descriptions   and jump links to related items somewhere else in the tree. 'Three clicks to anywhere' navigation.
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Type Managers
Type_Managers.pngIncreasing accessibility using file types and meta-data (Slashdot article here). It really comes down to good organization and interface. I need to expand with some Konqueror screen captures but the default home directory in Mandriva 2006, with its file type directories and multiple view options (where's the customizing?, e.g. a description field), is a good start. By using/customizing the Konqueror navigation/terminal/main panels you can increase accessibility quite a bit. A website is a type manager and should have a lot in common with a good file manager.
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