use new pathbar widget from Ubuntu Software Center

Would that mean porting the python implementation from software center to c?

yes another solution would be to use clutter and use some MX widgets but as far as i know it's not linked with the gtk theme u use.

The actual solution with a custom gtk theme is nice like it's tied with your theme but no animation and no possibilities of any input entry in the breadcrumb.

nautilus-elementary could go semantic in the next version with full zeitgeist and tracker implementation, so i don't know if the concept of a fancy breadcrumb with some directory hierarchies is really needed.

I still think that at the end of the day we're going to need some sort of hierarchical file browser. It is essential for the way applications are developed, the way artists and journalists work, web designers, etc etc. This isn't going to change for some time.

So I don't think its a waste of effort.

The evolution is to have file management embedded into the functionalities of applications (like Banshee and Fspot). But this does not make the hierarchical file browser useless, it only makes it different. It has a different purpose.

Also, the breadcrumb in USC does have animations :) and I don't see any reason why we can't make it accept text (although I don't think it will be trivial)

don't make me wrong i didn't say the hierarchical file system is useless, as a developer i need it too :)
What i am saying is there's a huge part that need to be developed that don't event exist in any linux DE, a semantic file browser functionalities. i think we are already armed for a file system hierarchy with breadcrumb and entry mode it could be better as in your mockup dan with a combined breadcrumb which provide the two. But for now i prefer develop what is missing, what don't even exist. And finally i am sure that i'll end up using more the semantic part than the traditional hierarchy one, that's why i am asking if it really worth the effort. We'll see with usability :)

well, the way I am looking at it is that semantic functions will be taken over by the applications, so it doesn't make sense to develop them in the browser.

Actually, if you are interested in that sort of thing (and I know you rock clutter), Glide needs a sexy Presentation browser ;)

I think its early enough in development that if we make something really badass we can convince the developer to include it.

In fact, best solution would be just using themes which make pathbar look as you wish (see e.g. Oxygen) instead of trying to port python code to c just to get it look nicer.