Re: gEDA-user: Removing default title box

[al davis <ad151@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Monday 12 May 2008, Stuart Brorson wrote:
> >> This may sound strange but how do you remove the default
> >> title box in schematic? Adding a new one just overlaps the
> >> default one.
> >
> > I'm curious ...  Should the title box be there by default?
>
> I'm one of the folks who pushed for the idea that we should
> have a title box by default.  The reason:
>
> *  Previously, gschem started with the viewing field zoomed
> waaaaaay out.  Many people couldn't figure out what was going
> on when they placed parts and saw only tiny specs on the
> viewing field.

"zoomed waaaaaay out" was the problem.  That's easy to fix.

>
> *  To give newbies a warm & fuzzy feel about where they are
> working, the decision was taken to put a title block up at
> the start of gschem.  That way, folks know approximately how
> much drawing area they have.  It also makes the working area
> look more official, and provides reassurance that the program
> is working correctly.
>
> > I would rather start with a blank.  If I want a title box,
> > I will put one there.
>
> You're a power user.  Power users generally know about
> system-gschemrc, right?  Or is that an invalid assumption?

I was thinking of non-power users .. such as students using it 
as a front end to simulation.  I suppose there, having a title 
box could make for better looking lab reports, which is much 
needed.

Lots of students today have very low computer skills.  It is 
entirely the fault of the professors, who don't require 
computer skills.  Editing a config file is far beyond the 
vision of many students.  If it isn't on a menu, it doesn't 
exist.  Some of them who can't get to the config file consider 
themselves to be power users.

Maybe we are doing something right by letting them edit the 
config file, and even edit the schematic with a text editor.

Maybe again we are doing something right by giving them the need 
to configure something.  Too many just use the default 
configuration without realizing how easy it is to customize the 
environment if you can edit a text file.

> Not totall obvious to the newbie, true, but folks who have
> used the program for an hour or two know that it has a config
> file, and they will know to look there to set defaults like
> this.

You are overestimating....

I suppose this issue is kind of like when KDE defaults to being 
windoze-like, a configuration that is really annoying to me, 
but KDE is very nice when configured correctly.


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