gnome-utils

Bug #11334
Comment #214

Comment 214 for bug 11334

Revision history for this message

In freedesktop.org Bugzilla #25220, X-po8 (x-po8) wrote on 2010-02-24:

#214

LOL.

This is a great bug. I too every so often experience the pain that comes with closing an app before I've had a chance to paste from it.

I love the comments, especially the linked rant.

A few things to note, though:

* If you run a clipboard manager such as http://parcellite.sourceforge.net/ it will save the clipboard when it sees a copy act. In fact, it will save a complete history of all copy acts; something that AFAIK neither Mac or Windows does for you these days. (My original 128K Mac actually had an app that would page back through previously-clipped stuff, but I haven't spotted it in a while. Maybe it's still around.) Thus, no changes to applications or X are needed to remedy this particular design issue. Just get a tool.

* Once you've fixed this little problem, X cut-and-paste will still totally suck. Almost no interoperability between apps for anything other than unformatted text, almost no support for most media types, complete lack of uniformity in user interface beyond the most basic functions, etc, etc.

* Even specifying cut-and-paste behavior that makes even 80% of X users happy is really, really hard. I think so, anyhow, because I and a whole classroom full of smart people once burned 2.5 months working on it without winning. (Of course, maybe I and they are just fail.) Once you've specified it, you face the question of how to make every X app, toolkit etc in existence conformant.

Let me be clear. I would *love* to see the major GUI toolkit builders get together and iron out a proper X cut-and-paste specification, then jointly push it into their toolkits and UI guidelines. I would be happy to help how I could with such a project. I think it's probably feasible, albeit on a several-years' timescale. It took us 10 years to get XCB mainstreamed. It's still not done. IMHO mainstreaming XCB was much easier than mainstreaming new cut-and-paste will be.

However, filing a bug against X cut-and-paste at freedesktop.org and insisting that it be raised to highest priority is just comical. Fixing X doesn't work that way. Even if many Ubuntu Launchpad folks want it to. If you want X cut-and-paste issues fixed, pitch in and help. The specification in the previous comment isn't anywhere near done, obviously, but it at least shows the right attitude.

I want to close this bug, but none of the standard resolutions work for me. I wish there was a WTF resolution. In the meantime, I'll just leave it open, with an appropriate priority and severity.

LOL.

This is a great bug.  I too every so often experience the pain that comes with closing an app before I've had a chance to paste from it.

I love the comments, especially the linked rant.

A few things to note, though:

* If you run a clipboard manager such as http://parcellite.sourceforge.net/ it will save the clipboard when it sees a copy act.  In fact, it will save a complete history of all copy acts; something that AFAIK neither Mac or Windows does for you these days.  (My original 128K Mac actually had an app that would page back through previously-clipped stuff, but I haven't spotted it in a while.  Maybe it's still around.)  Thus, no changes to applications or X are needed to remedy this particular design issue.  Just get a tool.

* Once you've fixed this little problem, X cut-and-paste will still totally suck.  Almost no interoperability between apps for anything other than unformatted text, almost no support for most media types, complete lack of uniformity in user interface beyond the most basic functions, etc, etc.

* Even specifying cut-and-paste behavior that makes even 80% of X users happy is really, really hard.  I think so, anyhow, because I and a whole classroom full of smart people once burned 2.5 months working on it without winning.  (Of course, maybe I and they are just fail.)  Once you've specified it, you face the question of how to make every X app, toolkit etc in existence conformant.

Let me be clear.  I would *love* to see the major GUI toolkit builders get together and iron out a proper X cut-and-paste specification, then jointly push it into their toolkits and UI guidelines.  I would be happy to help how I could with such a project.  I think it's probably feasible, albeit on a several-years' timescale.  It took us 10 years to get XCB mainstreamed.  It's still not done.  IMHO mainstreaming XCB was much easier than mainstreaming new cut-and-paste will be.

However, filing a bug against X cut-and-paste at freedesktop.org and insisting that it be raised to highest priority is just comical.  Fixing X doesn't work that way.  Even if many Ubuntu Launchpad folks want it to.  If you want X cut-and-paste issues fixed, pitch in and help.  The specification in the previous comment isn't anywhere near done, obviously, but it at least shows the right attitude.

I want to close this bug, but none of the standard resolutions work for me.  I wish there was a WTF resolution.  In the meantime, I'll just leave it open, with an appropriate priority and severity.