Xfce advanced settings plugin/module

[Jannis Pohlmann]

On Sat, 27 May 2006 16:43:11 +0200, Nikolas Arend wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> there was a thread recently (which unfortunately took a kind of
> unlucky turn) about the inclusion of certain "hidden" options into
> the xfdesktop mcs plugin. The "over-configurability" of xfce
> components - i.e. making all possible options available by UI - was
> always a delicate subject. In said thread Brian mentioned that there
> could be something like the tweakUI plugin Olivier wrote for xfwm4,
> just for all hidden options and all apps. That way, the "core"
> settings manager would stay clear and not overloaded, but users can
> mess around with additional stuff if they like.

I dislike the separation of "normal" and "advanced" features/options,
mainly due to one reason: As soon as you're using software on a daily
basis (or at least, use it regularly enough), "advanced" becomes
"normal". 

Personally, I don't see the need to split up MCS plugins in order to
create an "advanced" options dialog. None of the plugins are really
bloated, I think. Some may need an overhaul of the user interface, but
that's it.

In addition, I'd like to comment on hidden options. They are often used
to add features while avoiding to blow up the user interface (or not
having to work on it because it takes too much time). As hidden options
always mean browsing docs, asking (and answering!) questions about them
on mailing lists and so on, I don't think they're good for anything.
In the end, they don't save any of the developer's valuable time and
sometimes, they just unveil design problems.

Now, where was I? Right, I wanted to close with a statement against
hidden options. Instead, we should try to use good defaults wherever
possible (Benny did a good job with Thunar) and maybe think about
polishing possibly affected settings plugins.

Regards,
Jannis
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