GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 640657
Zoom / scroll behaviour is inconsistent with other Gnome programs
Last modified: 2013-11-05 14:13:36 UTC
Originally reported at https://bugs.launchpad.net/hundredpapercuts/+bug/686128 n other applications on the Ubuntu/Gnome desktop the scrollwheel allows the user to move around the document / image. Ctrl + scroll wheel is used when the user wishes to zoom the document / image. In EOG the behaviour is the exact opposite. ==Other applications with scrollwheel = scroll, scrollwheel + ctrl = zoom:== OpenOffice.org / Libre Office Nautilus Chromium Inkscape evince + others ========================================================== Ubuntu 10.04 + others Action: Pressed ctrl + scrolled with the scrollwheel Expected Behaviour: The image would zoom in Actual Behaviour: Nothing, as the image was zoomed out to fit in the window OR (if the image was already zoomed in) The image scrolled up and down The current behaviour violate the Gnome HIG (http://library.gnome.org/devel/hig-book/2.32/input-mouse.html.en, serach for 'zoom'). The relevant text is quoted here for convenience: "Ctrl+scrollwheel-up should zoom into the window or control under the mouse pointer, and Ctrl+scrollwheel-down should zoom out."
Yes, that's right. We violate the HIG on purpose here, since the feedback we received when we switched behaviour the last time was mostly negative and we don't have plans to enforce the HIG against the will of the users. (see bug 479884) Then there's still the GConf/GSettings key to switch to modes that is also mentioned in the Launchpad report if you really want to follow HIG guidelines.
Thanks a lot for the confirmation.
Perhaps it's time to reopen this bug. From what I could find in bugzilla, the negative feedback mentioned in this bug is rather old (e.g. bug 506277 is from 2007), and one of the most cited reasons is that the image viewer in Windows XP uses the same conventions. It is now six years later, and a number of things have changed: * Gnome has had 11 minor releases, as well as one Major Release; * zooming is now omnipresent in web browsers, all of which use ctrl+scroll; * Windows XP, while still disappointingly prevalent, is on the brink of retirement, together with its ancient image viewer (which is appropriately called an "image and fax viewer").