5 ms·

> I got out a piece of paper and wrote down all the options and choices you could make with respect to formatting a disk, like filesystem, label, cluster size,

> I got out a piece of paper and wrote down all the options and choices you could make with respect to formatting a disk, like filesystem, label, cluster size, compression, encryption, and so on. > ... > It wasn't elegant, but it would do until the elegant UI arrived. This doesn't follow IMO. It presents all the options you need in a simple interface; what would go into a more "elegant" interface?

jameshart 3y ago
Are you... a programmer by any chance?
- TillE 3y ago
  To improve things, we need to talk about common user scenarios. Problem is, normal users will approximately never have to format a disk, and it's a perfectly adequate interface for nerds. If this were the 90s and everyone was still using floppy disks, yeah it would be worth making it slightly more user-friendly.
  - Dalewyn 3y ago
    This thing literally is from the 90s when everyone was still using floppy disks.
    - omegabravo 3y ago
      This interface was perfectly acceptable in the 90s, and it's perfectly acceptable today. Dropping a big graphic with a large circle button labelled format would have been worse. I say this as someone who writes my fair share of aesthetic user interfaces. My takeaway is different. If your "temporary code" is sufficient to solve the problem, then it may last 30 years. If it was an actual problem, it would have been fixed by now.
- seoulmetro 3y ago
  I'm a programmer and I can't even stand the formatting on Linux distros. Windows was usable even as a kid.
  - exe34 3y ago
    What's wrong with mkfs.<tab-tab>[select-middle-click] /dev/sdc1?
    - ZoomZoomZoom 3y ago
      The fact that you need to invoke lsblk/blkid/mount first to be sure what you're about to erase forever, then possibly sync and unmount, and only then format. Keeping the same target device at every step is completely on user and the price of a typo is huge. I love (and usually prefer) the Unix way, but it's as dangerous as it's powerful and the amount of the required prior knowledge is incomparable.
      - exe34 3y ago
        In that case you could use gnome-drive or whatever it's called, it's all point and click!
        ZoomZoomZoom 3y ago
        Of course there's GUI solutions for GNU+Linux, but I was specifically answering to your "what's wrong with mkfs" comment. Moreover, the GP mentions "as a kid" which is probably at least 10 years ago, when the choice of GUI tools and their availability in various distros and their repos was much more limited.
      - the8472 3y ago
        Those are the low level tools. there are things like parted that bundle them together if you want something more guided. GUI versions are available too, and since many installers ship with GUIs these days you don't even have to touch the terminal anymore. Unless you install arch, but then learning the plumbing is part of the experience.

jameshart 3y ago

Are you... a programmer by any chance?

TillE 3y ago
To improve things, we need to talk about common user scenarios. Problem is, normal users will approximately never have to format a disk, and it's a perfectly adequate interface for nerds. If this were the 90s and everyone was still using floppy disks, yeah it would be worth making it slightly more user-friendly.
- Dalewyn 3y ago
  This thing literally is from the 90s when everyone was still using floppy disks.
  - omegabravo 3y ago
    This interface was perfectly acceptable in the 90s, and it's perfectly acceptable today. Dropping a big graphic with a large circle button labelled format would have been worse. I say this as someone who writes my fair share of aesthetic user interfaces. My takeaway is different. If your "temporary code" is sufficient to solve the problem, then it may last 30 years. If it was an actual problem, it would have been fixed by now.
seoulmetro 3y ago
I'm a programmer and I can't even stand the formatting on Linux distros. Windows was usable even as a kid.
- exe34 3y ago
  What's wrong with mkfs.<tab-tab>[select-middle-click] /dev/sdc1?
  - ZoomZoomZoom 3y ago
    The fact that you need to invoke lsblk/blkid/mount first to be sure what you're about to erase forever, then possibly sync and unmount, and only then format. Keeping the same target device at every step is completely on user and the price of a typo is huge. I love (and usually prefer) the Unix way, but it's as dangerous as it's powerful and the amount of the required prior knowledge is incomparable.
    - exe34 3y ago
      In that case you could use gnome-drive or whatever it's called, it's all point and click!
      - ZoomZoomZoom 3y ago
        Of course there's GUI solutions for GNU+Linux, but I was specifically answering to your "what's wrong with mkfs" comment. Moreover, the GP mentions "as a kid" which is probably at least 10 years ago, when the choice of GUI tools and their availability in various distros and their repos was much more limited.
    - the8472 3y ago
      Those are the low level tools. there are things like parted that bundle them together if you want something more guided. GUI versions are available too, and since many installers ship with GUIs these days you don't even have to touch the terminal anymore. Unless you install arch, but then learning the plumbing is part of the experience.