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Messages - cicerosc [ switch to compact view ]

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Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Polywick Story Server
« on: September 17, 2018, 02:16 PM »
Here is an edited version of a comment I posted at outlinersoftware.com, so I can repeat the LAST suggestion primarily:

- PSS I hope you will not let any bad vibes discourage you.

- Yes we Ecco fanatics have been disillusioned in the past.  Yes EccoExt from Slang and Infoqube are the only exceptions from the rule that our hopes will be dashed—BUT

- After all these years I would like nothing more than what you appear to be working on - an updated and working new generation of software on the Ecco Pro model.

- Seems to me a lot of the concern comes from PSS’s phrasing (StoryServer?) (“tough”?).  I presume this comes from someone for whom English is not a first language.  If not, then trouble is ahead for sure—BUT

- I for one want to applaud these efforts and wish you the best.  The Ecco Pro model may not have taken the world by storm 20+ years ago, and it won’t take it by storm now, but from those of us who embraced it over the years then I bet you’ll find plenty of support for beta testing and initial deployment.

- To PSS, I say thank you for letting us know that this is on the drawing board and please keep us informed as you proceed.

- I see you have posted here and at Outlinersoftware.com.  One thing that has been missing from the Ecco world forever (as far as I know) is a dedicated forum where Ecco enthusiasts can communicate with each other and help with progress.  The Yahoo forum has been our lifeline but the software is absolutely awful.  The forum at Eccomagic had potential, but for some reason I never understood was not well used.  Donationcoder is better for the announcement, but we really need a FULL PHPBBS or similar forum (like this one at DonationCoder) but dedicated to your work where people can post problems and solutions and they can be found in the future without reinventing the wheel. Infoqube has that and it is VERY helpful.  PLEASE consider your own dedicated forum software location, and if you do please let us know about it!!!


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Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: Polywick Story Server
« on: August 27, 2018, 07:28 AM »
I am posting mainly to be sure I get notifications.

As to Infoqube, I can testify that Infoqube's latest incarnations are much easier to follow than in the past, so I highly recommend it. 

Just be aware that PPL targets a much more elaborate program than simply an outliner, and he includes gantt charts, calendar functions, and many other database-focused features. 

For example, in PPL's screen shot, you see how in fact Infoqube can be made to look much like Ecco - but as in his screen shot, Infoqube does not have a close equivalent to Ecco's "tree / folder" view, which is what we see in the left column of the Story Server screenshots.  Over the years I think I've finally realized that I really don't need that tree view, but coming from Ecco that was something that  threw me back for a long time.  Ecco's strength for me is as more of a "single-pane" outliner, and Infoqube does that fine.

I think there's room for both approaches -- PPL's AND an outliner-focused reincarnation of the Ecco paradigm with modern technology

Not sure about the name, however.  "Story Server?"  :-)

But let me close with a big "thank you!" to the Story Server developer, and please keep up the good work!

3
For anyone who comes across this thread, question asked at XNViewMP forum here:  http://newsgroup.xnv...amp;p=143957#p143957

4
Been looking at XNVIEWMP further.  Boy is that close to what I am describing - probably only needs an added viewer for excel and microsoft word to totally fit the bill.

5
Edvard thank you for your comments and I do use XNview and see its similarities to this discussion. I wish xnview could view office documents!  I have also checked out xplorer2 and agree that it fits with xyplorer and freecommander and dopus.  So there is room for at least four of these programs in the windows world but none in linux?  (to repeat an earlier comment, I've never been able to get dolphin to do this though it seems set up to do some previewing - but certainly not a favorite files pane)

Another program with similar paradigm to what we are talking about is "everdesk" and it also has the category / list/ preview format, but it is windows only and does not appear to me to be actively developing.

Since this format seems to be basic to the explorer in windows I am sure I am not the only linux user who would like the kind of functionality that we are discussing

6
One of the developers of NewBreeze wrote me back to say this:

"I have some plans similar to yours, but on the whole, the changes you suggest are substantial, and I am not willing to make so many changes. The Right Pane, yes. I will add it in the future. I find the TreeView in the sidepanel messy, but have plans to add it anyway. As for adding file to favorites, I am working on SuperStart, which will have support for files and folders bookmarking. If you want help building a file manager for yourself, I'll try to help you as much as I can. Most of the features you want are not that complicated. You can use most of the Qt classes as is and make do. It would make a very lightweight and a feature rich FM."

Unfortunately I am no programmer myself and doubt I could learn fast enough to make this worthwhile.

That's one of the reasons I posted on donationcoder.  I'd really like to do something rather that sit back and hope. Is there a method or a place - here on DonationCoder or otherwise - where it would make sense to post a prototype design and try to raise money to support development of a new (hopefully open source) programming effort?  Maybe forking off of the QT version of PCMANFM or some other current QT design?



7
That suggestion of NewBreeze is interesting Panzer - thanks.  I left a comment with the developers.

8
Thanks again guys - no one paid you for your time and you didn't have to reply.  Alas Wraith808 remains correct.  With all the people who seem willing to program the same independent multi-pane design over and over and over again, I was hoping to happen onto someone who might be looking for a new twist in file managers, since that is what some of the people on this website apparently specialize in doing.

Short of someone in the linux world seeing the wisdom of the XYPlorer/Dopus/Freecommander approach, I guess I am doomed to limp along in virtualbox and/or wine.  Order me another glass, I suppose! ;-)

9
Thank you Wraith808 we are on the same wavelength.  I decided to post here because the forum and website seem oriented toward working toward practical solutions to existing problems, so maybe there is someone who will come across this thread who sees an opportunity for profit. I am a lawyer and able to use linux for 90+ percent of my work, but I still have to keep a Virtualbox running for several of my important organizational tools.

I'd certainly be willing to donate toward people who are willing to make linux more business-friendly, so maybe at some point something will "click" on this and similar projects.  There are so many reasons to work hard to avoid being totally dependent on Microsoft and Google.

10
Thanks to Panzer and Wraith808.  I am afraid I agree with Wraith, but with an emphasis on the viewing being missing two, because the panes don't appear to be linked in any usable way - they appear largely independent.  I better stress that - there are "hundreds" of multiple pane file browsers which allow viewing in a single pane as "thumbnail format, but not so many based on a tree to the left (with favorites pane for FILES, not just folders!!) that control what is visible in the next pane over and allow previewing on the right.  To repeat, that pane on the left in my diagram is not just a simple directory tree, it's a drag and drop customizable outline that allows entries in the middle pan to be dragged and organized for future use in a tree-like structure.


Both of these appear to be simply just more implementations of independent multiple panes for file manipulation, rather than a work environment for actively working with a set of currently-hot files in a tree (left side), manipulating them (middle pane), and viewing them (right side). 

That's what I want to do in my "work environment" - I want to gather up a manageable set of files, organize them into priorities or whatever on the left, rename or launch them from the middle, and view them (so as to find which one to launch) on the right.  The order of panes isn't important but the ability to keep a set of "favorites" (including both files and directories) and then scroll through them (the middle pane) and view as I scroll (the right pane) is the key.  XYplorer and Freecommander and even the current Windows file explorers allow this basic level of function, but so far nothing in Linux (or even something in basic windows that really works in wine emulation.)

Yes I love multiple panes for copying and pasting files from one place to another, but I'm talking about actually working with the content of the files, not just shuffling them from place to place.

Here's another example of use of this:  Like most people I use multiple word processes, and multiple image editors.  Part of what I want is to be able to organize my files and then launch them with the "open as" dialogue in the program of choice at the moment.   

ALSO:  I previously asked the programmer of XFE if he would add a favorites pane, and he said that's on his roadmap but no promises.  That would be one way forward, but I really want the file preview function too.

11
Thanks Shades, but like most of the two-panel-focused file managers, krusader  (1) has no "catalog" or "Favorites" pane as I have described.  (2) It does have a pane that can be switched to thumbnails, but as far as I can tell that's not tied to browsing or selecting files or directories in the other panes.  Also, if what I were looking for were in KDE then I would switch, but krusader carries the added investment of the kde libraries which I prefer not to use on non-kde systems.  Dolphin is a little closer to my needs, but it has no favorites tree for files (not directories!) and its previewing of files has always been very finicky for me (especially viewing of word processing files).

http://www.tuxarena....14/01/krusader01.jpg


Thanks for the suggestion however and I will appreciate any others that people make!

12
Is there any interest anywhere (besides me) for a competent but not frilly linux file manager that has (1) a preview pane (which is my #1 need), and also (2) a "catalog" or "favorites" pane, where files (FILES, not just folders!!) can be dragged or dropped for quick reuse?

It seems to me that all the big windows file managers, from the current versions of windows explorer to XYplorer to Freecommander to DirectoryOpus all have these basic functions, which I use ALL THE TIME to organize my work.

But in the world of Linux which I favor as much as I can, I can't seem to find anything close.  Sure Dolphin has a "sortof" preview pane (but I can't get it to work most of the time in the distros I use, and I don't want to be stuck with KDE).  But from PCMANFM to THUNAR to XFE to SpaceFM to DoubleCommander (and on and on and on) I can't seem to get either of these basic desirable features (especially the preview pane) working. 

I can get Freecommander and XYPlorer to work (sort of) in Linux with wine/crossover, and using the plugins from totalcommander I can get it to preview almost any type of file, but it's hit and miss.   And all I really want is something relatively simple that doesn't try to reinvent the wheel for folder synchronization, editing, and all sorts of features that aren't core to basic file finding and launching.

Can anyone point me toward a direction for hopefully one day resolving this in the linux world?

Attached is a sample of the format I use every day.  Help?   The way this is set up is as follows:

- On the left, a tree pane PLUS a favorites pane (drag and droppable from the file list in the center).  (May not be easy to see, but the bottom pane on the left is a standard directory tree; the top left pane is a drag and droppable "outline" of files and folders for quick reference.)

- In the center, a standard File list for standard rename, delete, and similar file (including double-click to LAUNCH!) operations in middle.  This center pane is actually two separate file lists, with the one on the bottom all but minimized.  Two file lists for moving files between them is nice but not at all mandatory.

- On the right, a preview pane for viewing pictures, media, word processing files, etc that displays the currently-selected file in the middle pane.

(The graphic is from a customized freecommander; the mx logo is just from the linux distro I am using - it's just here as a sample of a media file preview.)

sample.jpg

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