<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On 09/02/2006, at 7:55, Eric O'Brien wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV>"Density" is a very nice generic description of the problem!</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>By the way, in the following, I don't at all mean to be harsh! Instead, I'd like to figure out how "what's in there" can be made even more visible, available and understandable... to get even more converts. TextMate is a fabulous product and, rather then "upgrade" BBEdit, I recently purchased TextMate instead. </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Critique...</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>The functionality and power of TextMate is unevenly distributed in its visual working space. (Even more difficult, much of it is, in fact, NOT visible at all.) </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span">It is difficult to "discover" previously unknown functionality. It is also difficult to RE-discover ("remember") previously <I>discovered</I> functionality.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Furthermore, the way that "I" mentally "clump" functionality often is not the way it is clumped in TextMate. For example... I remember that I can do something. But is it a built-in feature, or in a macro, command or snippet? (Oh! I just noticed: apparently, the "gear" icon combines access to all three?) </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>What was it called? ? And, was it... THIS keyboard shortcut? YIKES! Hmm... well, that's actually sort of interesting. I wonder what I did?</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I suppose it's all context-related. Am I cranking out Python code? Check out the Python section. </DIV><DIV>LaTeX? Ditto. Am I working in ActionScript? Nope, I never do. As Tom Christiansen put, us human beings, we're really great at context.</DIV><DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV></DIV><DIV>If it's a built-in feature, is it under the "Edit" menu, or perhaps the "Text" menu? If not found in the "Text" menu, maybe it's in the Automation > Replay Macro > Text menu. OR, Automation > Insert Snippet > Text. OR... Automation > Run Command > Text. Or maybe the "gear" menu. [Too bad my keyboard binding for that shortcut doesn't work!] Oops, well I guess (think) not. Hmm... maybe it's under the "Edit" menu? ;)</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>!!</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV>Hmm, being more of a keyoboard-oriented user (I'm a Linux switcher) I tend to use menus as cheat-sheets, not as actual command triggers. So the Command-Esc thing works fine for me... Hit it, see what's available, look-up the key combination... (and, well, make a mental note of what you'd like to add to the command and snippets list). </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>So the position of the menu is not a problem for me. I like clean interfaces (I hated the Emacs tool-bar).</DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I have a horrible urge to shout for the inclusion of Toolbars (Multiple! and Fully Configurable! Of course.) And Floating Palettes. LOTS of floating palettes. All, also (of course) Fully Configurable. Lots of drag, drop, stretch and perforate. And a Unified Keyboard-Shorcut/Keybinding Editing & debugging Panel. Also... well, Fully Configurable.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>OK, my tone is somewhat flippant. But seriously, in TextMate there is "more than meets the eye." How do we bring that to the surface and make it more coherent and accessible? Without dynamiting the fish pond. </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>By which I mean that implementing "A Palette for Every Function and a Function for Every Palette" (or something) will simply smother the existing interface. Bringing "everything to the surface" (that's the dynamite in the fishpond) is not a good solution.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Over-stuffed drop-down menus begat hierarchal menus. Overstuffed hierarchal menus begat "tear off" menus (palettes). Overstuffed palettes begat "tabbed" palettes. Then the tabbed palettes grew their OWN hierarchal ("flyout") menus and I'm afraid we've come full circle! I don't know where the heck "tool bars" and "gutter bars" got into the picture. :) Now we've got scrolling, collapsing sidebars (has anyone looked at Adobe Lightroom?) And don't forget "twirl-down" menus. Hierarchal, but instead of popping out, they reveal their contents (like the "reveal" triangle in the Mac Finder). I'm skeptical that ANY of this makes functionality any more accessible or discoverable than if it was simply dumped into a gigantic "bubble" that users could simply re-arrange to their own liking. Rather like a "desktop" in this case.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Hmm! Maybe we need a "Dashboard-like" feature!! Press a button and your editing interface switches to a completely customizable "TextMate Dashboard" interface. Users get to scatter WHATEVER they want anywhere on this alternative "desktop/control surface/utility panel/macro switchboard"... whatever you want to call it. Why should "Preferences" or the bundle editor be constrained a dialog box? Why not give it an entire new view into the application?</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Users can organize commands, macros, snippets ... WHATever, here in any way they like. All the (and any of the) CLUTTER would (here) be constrained to the TextMate "Dashboard," leaving the editing interface sleek and tidy! Oh! I'm liking this. Excuse me for a moment while I duck out and grab a patent or two.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>You're describing QuickSilver. QS rocks. Absolutely. I'm off to their forums to demand a TextMate plugin. (Ouch, their site is down... nevermind).</DIV><DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV></DIV><DIV>OK, I'm back. Maybe the TMDB ("TextMateDashBoard") has a terminal window sitting ready to type into. Maybe it also has that wished-for SFTP window. Maybe ... ?? Maybe there can be more than one TextMate "screen set," "virtual desktop" or "dashboard." ??</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Well, I don't have a lot of answers to this problem right now [Oh, yes I do! Look at that "dashboard" idea! ;) ]. </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I want [some of] the benefits of toolbars and palettes, but not the added clutter of them. And since the user community currently has to rely pretty much on a single programmer in this, I would not want Allan spend most of his energy programming Palette Behavior. Ugh.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>eo</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></BODY></HTML>