GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 119991
It's not easy to find and start CD burning application
Last modified: 2008-12-16 15:54:24 UTC
There are usability problems with writing CDs in Gnome even n-c-b is installed, because going to burn:/// or choosing "Go"->"CD Creator" from menu are not easy to found for most users :( I think menu entry (.desktop file) "CD burner" should be added in Accessories or System tools menu categories. When user press on "CD burner" nautilus-cd-burner should be lauched. Then if there are no files in burn:/// user will see dialog: "You need to copy the files you want to write to CD to the CD Creator window. Would you like to open it now?" and 2 buttons "Close" and "Open CD Creator" I think this is user-friendly, because from this dialog simple user got all information how to write CD and then he can simply press "Open CD Creator" button, copies the files into the CD Creator window and press "Write to CD" button. If there already are files in burn:/// location then nautilus-cd-burner command displays "Write files to a CD recorder" dialog. I think this is ok, but one more button "Open CD Creator" (or maybe it's can be named "Show files to be written") should be added to this dialog. If user press this button then CD Creator window (nautilus with burn:/// locaton) is displayed. I'm attaching screenshot of improved "Write files to a CD recorder" dialog to this bug. Btw, when nautilus displays burn:/// location tittle of nautilus window should be not burn:///, but "CD Creator", because simple users don't know any burn:/// :)
Created attachment 19254 [details] screenshot of improved "Write files to a CD recorder" dialog with "Open CD Creator" button
What developers think about making n-c-b more user-friendly ?
I agree with everything said above. In addition, where are the docs? Have they simply not been written yet? There's nothing in the Nautilus handbook I can see about this. Looking at the Gnome Docs Project doctable, I see that Eugene has written them and they are in the User Guide. But I cannot find this on Fedora Core 1. I have found only the section on removable media, which is about floppies, not CDs. The docs desperately need highlighting. And writing, potentially :)
Here is a link to the documentation on w.g.o: http://www.gnome.org/learn/users-guide/latest/gosnautilus-475.html Can you add a Help button to the dialog? The button needs to link to the following: File: wgosnautilus.xml SectID: gosnautilus-475
*** Bug 129957 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Created attachment 23921 [details] [review] Proposed patch
Created attachment 23922 [details] Screenshot with the patch
Created attachment 23923 [details] Screenshot without the patch
It seems, that "Write files to CD" and "Cancel" buttons are not in the right place in screenshot with the patch - in all gnome dialogs "OK", "Save" or other affirmation buttons are at the right lower corner and "Cancel" button is in the middle, look at Gnome HIG: http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/1.0/windows.html#dialog-boxes http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/1.0/windows.html#alert-button-order http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/1.0/windows.html#explicit-apply-figure I'm attaching your screenshot, changed with GIMP, please edit your patch :) Btw, I think we could use text "Write to CD" instead of "Write files to CD", because now this button is very wide. Also I guess, that it's more user-friendly to see text "Show files" instead of "Open CD Creator" on the button. I have one more idea about "Show files" ("Open CD Creator") button - this button provides an alternative action and according to Gnome HIG this button has to be located left to "Cancel" button, or to affirmative button if "Cancel" does not present: http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/1.0/windows.html#alert-button-order I think, that "Cancel" button is not needed, because "Show Files" button ("Open CD Creator") will do almost the same action - will close "Write files to CD" dialog and open nautilus with 'burn:/' location displayed if nautilus with 'burn:/' isn't already opened. Also don't forget to include a .desktop file for nautilus-cd-burner - there is a patch for this, look at bug 129957
Created attachment 24134 [details] Screenshot, improved according gnome HIG
I don't agree with these changes (except for the help button). Nautilus-cd-burner is not meant to be used as a stand-along application (it *especially* should not have a desktop file). Its meant to be integrated with the file manager the same way copying a file is, not something you hunt for in the menu and launch. Now, I can agree that its a bit hard to find, but turning it into a bad cd burning application does not help. We need to work on true integration with the file manager. Probably something involving clicking on the cd writer icon in the Computer location when there is a blank CD in it. Of course, this has various issues that need to be considered, and will probably have to wait until 2.7.
Now Nautilus adn n-c-b is very near to 2.8, but still it's very hard to find how to copy files to CD :( N-C-B *really* needs menu entry, maybe not in Applications menu, but in Actions menu, named "Copy files to CD".
Btw, nautilus in browsing mode (--browser option) isn't a stand-along application too, but it has a menu entry (.desktop file), named "Browse Filesystem" in Applications menu. Also there is another menu entry for nautilus, named "Network Servers", which opens nautilus with network: location, this also isn't a stand-along application. So, why you can't add a menu entry, which opens nautilus with burn: location or starts nautilus-cd-burner ? We also should replace "Cancel" button with "Show files" ("Open CD Creator") button, because now it's pretty hard to find how to remove/add more files to CD if you choose File->Write to CD and then close nautilus with burn: location. "Show Files" button ("Open CD Creator") should do almost the same action like "Cancel" - it should close "Write files to CD" dialog and open nautilus with 'burn:/' location displayed if nautilus with 'burn:/' isn't already opened.
This bug is quite out of date. Marking as won't fix.
Why won't fix ? GNOME Users don't find how to burn CD in GNOME with nautilus-cd-burner installed, but you make this bug as wontfix instead of fixing :( Look at users' forums, mailing lists or web pages, for example: http://www.ilug-cal.org/GNOME_2_4.html (...) But I was disappointed with the nautilus cd burner. It is a really great feature, but somehow, it is not at all visible. I had to manually type in "burn://" in the address bar to get to the burn queue. There should be something in the main menu or somewhere prominent which should take users to this location. Also, a file menu item called "Copy to CD Creator" or somethings like that should be there, similar to the "Add to archive" option. Later I discovered that there was a link to CD Creator in Nautilus Menu -> Go -> CD Creator, but it is still, IMHO, not prominent enough.(...) http://www.userinstinct.com/viewpost.php?postid=gnome26review&page=10 Burn a data backup CD GNOME 2.6 provides this capability in the nautilus cd burner, but it is not discoverable in the Applications menu. Do you think it's a good decision to close this bug with resolution wontfix ? If there are "Places" menu in GNOME panel, why CD/DVD Creator isn't included in this menu, while it's in Nautilus "Places" menu?
Mantas, please file a bug against the gnome-panel or nautilus components if you would like to change the menus. There is really no action required for nautilus-cd-burner regardless.
Why you can't move this bug to the gnome-panel or nautilus component ?
Hi, I see this bug is opened in 2003 and last comment was in 2005... but this issue stil isn't resolved. Put any new user in front of fresh Gnome (let's say Fedora 8 Live CD) desktop and ask them to burn some files to CD or DVD - any watch them as they wiggle unpleasantly as they can't find any burning app under gnome desktop. Puting a link for nautils burner under "Places / CD - DVD Recoder" is the last place new users search for an app to burn some files of to CD or DVD. There should be a link for "CD Recoder" placed somewhere under "Applications" menu and not only in "Places" menu. Thank you.
When this bug was filed, there was no entry for CD/DVD Creator under Places (see comment 7). IMHO, the user would first insert a blank DVD which would cause the DVD creator pops up automatically. It's not exactly hidden under Places, the title CD/DVD Creator is quite clear.
I see other user behaviour; they first try to find burning app, and when they start is an prepare files for burning put empty CD/DVD at the end of the process and now at the begining. Also they look and expect burning application to be under "Applications" menue, so they thing that Fedora 8 Gnome desktop (in my example) doesn't have a burning application.
Why is Nautilus Burning under Places? What is the reason, can somebody please explain it? Thank you.
Why should CD burning be a different application? It's just the task of moving files from one place to another, which means you use the file manager.
I have seen users that expect to find a burning application in "Application" menue and in the name of usability Gnome should make user experience easier, and to me personally that makes more sense than the current place in "Places" menu. It doesn't matter if technically you are right, less technical users don't think like you and they know that in order to do some tasks on their desktops they need applications that enable them to do what they need. I maybe am wrong but I believe that "moving files from one place to another" means nothing to new users coming to Gnome and linux in general. Why internet browser isn't in places menue? It also is used for moving files from one place to other. This is not the best comparison but I could not think of a better one in few seconds time.
i wonder if we have any usability test data from sun or novell (http://www.betterdesktop.org) about this, if we tell a new user "burn your home stuff to a cd". i can definitely understand valent's point of view. we make it hard for those user types that first start the burning app and later insert the blank cd. i know some people working like this.
My take would be: 1. remove CD/DVD creator from the Places menu 2. add a call to "nautilus -n --no-desktop --browser burn:///" in a .desktop file in the system tools menu 3. make "write to disc" having an icon 4. have "instructions" in the main nautilus window, such as "drop files to write to disc here"
Bugs filed. The only hard one is 4), let's wait and see what the nautilus developers reckon.
great!
Hi guys! Fedora 8 and Ubuntu 8.4 are soon to be released, any chance this bug gets in before they get released?
I ment Fedora 9 :)
This probably can't be done in GNOME 2.22.x since it affects screenshots, translations and documentation. We are also feature frozen for the stable branch and I guess this would count as a feature at least in the sense that it needs to be documented. I tried opening a nautilus window like described above and I see a very real potential that the user will be just as confused after having clicked away from burn:/// to select files to write to the CD. How to we keep them from doing that? They then have to know that they should open the "Go"!? menu in the nautilus window to be able to go back to where they can write the files. Isn't this just as confusing as having the menu entry under Places in the first place?
I haven't even thought about that, and I tried navigating from burn:/// and you are right, that is very confusing.
(In reply to comment #31) > I haven't even thought about that, and I tried navigating from burn:/// and you > are right, that is very confusing. Yep, filed bug 529864 about this. If it's not fixed, we could go for a spatial window instead, which would avoid the user losing the location whilst browsing for files to add. I also missed bug 529867 about the .desktop file addition.
Is there a reason why not to abandon nautilus burning and go with Brasero as default Gnome burning application? If you look at statistics: http://online.gnome.org/applications?category=sound_and_video More people use k3b but I guess that is out of the question ;)
@Valent: It's up to the Brasero maintainers to apply for official inclusion into the GNOME Desktop. They are free to do so.
This is not a forum or a mailing list but brasero is intented to be an easy and full burning "suite" not like n-c-b that just do his job. We didn't propose it because we need more developers/contributors to get the releases ready in time for gnome.
@ Kjartan Maraas Are there any plans to fix this issue beyond Gnome 2.22 ? Cheers, Valent.
Last time I checked with Brassero devels they said that they will propose that Brassero comes by default in Gnome. Has this happened yet? Cheers, Valent.
No, feel free to ask the Brasero developers for their plans.
All done in SVN trunk for 2.26, closing.