Re: GTK file selector

[Paul Pogonyshev <pogonyshev@gmx.net>]

Jérôme Marant wrote:
> Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se> writes:
> 
> > Jérôme Marant wrote:
> >
> >> I'm ashamed I have to ask such simple questions but the previous file
> >> selector was much more intuitive.
> >
> > You are not alone in thinking that.  The GTK 2 file chooser has always
> > been controversial, but it is quite like the Mac OSX one
> > (functionality wise).  The problem is that features like this are more
> > or less hidden to a user who don't hang around mailing lists like this
> > :-)
> 
> BTW, I noticed that Firefox, which is linked against the same gtk version
> as Emacs on my system, uses a different file selector. It looks like the
> previous one, if I recall correctly. Is the old file selector still
> around in the current gtk? Or maybe did they re-code it?

No, it is a completely different file chooser (just checked, at least in
1.0), I guess it is the same in all/most Firefox variants, regardless of
backend.  BTW, Firefox GUI, in my opinion, is generally much worse than
that of GNOME/GTK+ standards-conforming applications, e.g. font selection
is atrocious.

Old GTK+ file selector is deprecated but not removed (probably not until
GTK+ 3.0 or something), see GtkFileSelection widget.

I ranted on GTK+ mailing list about the new file chooser too.  It was
pretty unusable in 2.4, but in 2.6 it is already quite good, though I
still like the old one a little better in terms of keyboard usability.
However, I agree with GTK+ developers that for a common user the new
file chooser is much more convenient and intuitive.

Paul