On Sun, 26 Sep 2004, Colin Marquardt wrote:
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2004 16:50:01 +0200 From: Colin Marquardt <colin@...384...> To: inkscape-devel@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: [Inkscape-devel] "Vacuum Defs"
Hi,
I find "Vacuum Defs" a bit misplaced in the File menu. Maybe it could be part of the Document Preferences dialog? That would also allow it to have a longer, more self-explanatory name.
I did a review on the back of an envelope and I have been meaning to write up this and many other small problems.
Initially I thought Vacuum was a mispelling, I have only ever seen the word vacumn before, Vacuum seems to be an American word. It helps where possible to avoid words that are not the same in both American Common English, I've always been annoyed at Microsoft for inflicting "Favorites" on users when Bookmarks or Shortcuts were better terms that translated properly (and there are plenty of thinks that I have shortcuts for that I are useful but I dont necessarily and are certainly not my favourites).
What I dont understand is why this implementation detail is important enough to ever be shown to the users? Why should unused <defs> be kept lying around?
I would have thought that unused definitions or <defs> (and <patterns>) could periodically be cleaned up completely automatically. Flushing them at Save would seem like the safest time (but some other time might work just as well).
There is a strategy used when creating Flash programs of keeping a palette/library, a small collection of objects off to the side of the viewable page for users that want to have at least one instance of an object available in the full scope of document. Inkscape has a flexible and reliable Undo system so it seems unlikey that a users would accidentally and irreversibly remove <defs> they might actually have wanted.
If you are still unconvinced and for some reason plan to keep the option visible in the menus or as a preference somewhere I have some suggestions on a clearer simpler label that might be appropriate.
Sincerely
Alan Horkan
http://advogato.org/person/AlanHorkan/ Inkscape, Draw Freely http://inkscape.org Free SVG Clip Art http://OpenClipArt.org