Flat View must not be called "Flat View"

[Zardoz2293]

BTW, although commonly used, "Flat View" always gives me a small logical hickup. Although the metaphor is obvious, I would have called the same thing "Deep View" intuitively. The opposite! Can anybody here relate to this POV?

"Deep View" = POV = Absolutely, Yes. What about "Flat Deep View"? What is preventing using "Branch View"?

Let me stress once more that legal advice is welcome but not that important to me. I'm operating on a different level in this matter.

I'd follow that direction with all of the energy of XY and yourself.

Any common terms are fair game, especially considering the nature and scope of XY. I think your expertise in linguistics is a huge plus in knowing your direction. I've used just about every file manager ever written at one time or another and I have no mental association of product/firm specific terminology with anything suggested in this discussion which couldn't be used.

Have you considered requesting from them a list of just what 'terms' they claim to have as trademarks or registered trademarks?

You can't prevent someone or something from being unreasonable. I've found these kind of 'legal' mambo-jumbo tactics are the tip of a product going out of style. Perhaps desperation?

[admin]

What is preventing using "Branch View"?

Not much. Nothing. I'm beginning to like it.

[serendipity]

What is preventing using "Branch View"?

Not much. Nothing. I'm beginning to like it.

I like it too.

[Borut]

BTW, although commonly used, "Flat View" always gives me a small logical hickup. Although the metaphor is obvious, I would have called the same thing "Deep View" intuitively.

Interesting - I find "Deep View" counterintuitive, since it associates me with being deep in a branch and seeing details of that branch only (like: fast forward to the leaves). "Flat view" is intuitive to me, since I associate it with a position far above, being able to see the plan from above.

That said, how about "Flat branches"? "Herbarium"? "Masterplan"?

OK, this thread became much too long and time consuming anyway. Time for some sleep.

[Zardoz2293]

What is preventing using "Branch View"?

Not much. Nothing. I'm beginning to like it.

I find this amusing in a very good way. Controversy is a good. Perhaps the party who objected to "Flat View" will cause in the end a superior term adoption.

"Branch View" - thumbs up here!

It's like you pick the point in the tree to view the branch, with or without the leaves based on your criteria.

[nony]

It's shame that you have to find an alternative name ...It's like you can't say your 'cow' a 'cow' coz i have a dog with trademarked name 'cow'...

Anyway I would go for
XYFlat View
FlatList View

[wongjai]

How about
Expanded View or
Extended View?

[FeatureCreep]

Re: "b) I deserve to know why FreeCommander is allowed to use "Flat View" since 2009."


"Flat View" is not only used by DOpus and FreeCommander, it is also used by:

xplorer²
Comparison table of windows 7 Explorer and xplorer² 7 June 2009
http://zabkat.com/blog/07Jun09-windows7-explorer.htm
"flat view (folder and subfolders)"

SharpCmd
http://code.google.com/p/sharpcmd/
"SharpCmd is a two window file manager in tradition of Norton/Total commander.
It displays files on the filesystem in two panels, which can be changed for different perspectives - flat view, tree view, thubmnail view."

UltraExplorer
http://alternativeto.net/software/ultraexplorer/about
"UltraExplorer...Columns View. This view is a flat view of your files and folder aligned in a linear fashion across the windows"

7-Zip File Manager
Change log v4.42 2006-05-14
http://www.7-zip.org/history.txt
"- Optional "Flat View" mode in 7-Zip File Manager"

PeaZip
http://www.peazip.org/changelog.html
Change log 2011 02 26
"now PeaZip is able to auto-switch to Flat view in order to show the full content of those archives in all tested cases"

Xionix Xippit Archive Manager
http://www.xionix.com/products/xippit/support.php
click the "Features" tab
"Flat View: Switch Flat view mode for list of files"

Directory Rumpus.jpg (107.67 KiB) Viewed 4507 times

[FeatureCreep]

If those precedents still aren't enough to make the makers of Directory Opus back down, perhaps they should consider the following.

Microsoft
Create or change a view
Applies to: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/ ... 21577.aspx
"Views provide several ways to make your lists and libraries more effective. Here are some ways you can use views:...
...See all items at the same level in a flat view without folders."

Customize a discussion board
Applies to: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/share ... 99490.aspx
"Flat view By default, this view is available only in folders of the discussion content type."

And after the DOpus team have exhausted the legal resources of Microsoft, they can take on Google.

How To Use Picasa
Some Suggestions On How Organize Photos Using Picasa
https://sites.google.com/site/picasaresources/faq
"Note that the folder list is shown as a nice flat list of folders. You don't see the hierarchy that you might see in Windows Explorer. That's the default view. I like that flat view. I don't store my photos in a deeply nested folder structure, anyway."
[Note: Despite the tone, this is official Google documentation, not a user comment.]

many more examples of Picasa "flat view"
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=picasa ... =firefox-a

Personally, I like "branch view". This is the phrase used by Total Commander, which -according to the Directory Opus website- is equivalent to "flat view".

Comparison With Other File Managers
http://www.gpsoft.com.au/program/comparisons.html

Comparison UncomforTable.png (196.94 KiB) Viewed 4507 times

Perhaps the folks at Directory Opus would be kind enough to update their Comparison Table to reflect the fact that XYplorer has a "flat view", as they are obviously aware of this development. Failure to do so would seem to be a willful misrepresentation. I'm sure a formal reminder from your lawyers will not be necessary.

[admin]

WOW! Impressive investigation results.

Especially this one surprised me:

Comparison With Other File Managers
http://www.gpsoft.com.au/program/comparisons.html

Comparison UncomforTable.png

I had thought this crooked "comparison" had been long removed from the web. In the past years I emailed them several times asking them to update the list to correctly reflect XY's features, but I got an answer and reaction only to my first mail. After that they preferred to remain passive.

The following features need a green tick in the XYplorer column:
Checkbox Mode (= Sticky Selection)
Flatview
Configurable Toolbars (why "Limited"?)
Explorer Replacement
Multi-Window Saved Layouts (= Save/Load Configuration)
File Descriptions (= Comments)
Multi-Level Undo
Settings Backup/Restore

[admin]

FeatureCreep, where did you find a link to that table (http://www.gpsoft.com.au/program/comparisons.html). I have the impression they removed any links to this page. (Only pages from the google cache show the links.)

[FeatureCreep]

I found the link in Google search results. But I cannot remember the exact search terms I used. I think you are correct that GPSoft have removed any links on their site to this page as I could not find any there.

The cached version of their home page has a link under the "Program" menu
Program >
About Opus
Comparisons
Screenshots
What's New

"Comparisons" has now been replaced with "Reviews".

However, it is not true that "only pages from the google cache show the links". GPSoft have not removed the actual page from their server. You can view it directly, not just through Google's cache.
http://www.gpsoft.com.au/program/comparisons.html

I do not know if Google only cache pages on a site that are directly referenced on another page on the same site. If that is the case, then presumably the "Comparisons" page will eventually disappear from Google search results.

If, as I suspect, Google cache pages that are linked from other websites, then the "Comparisons" page will continue to appear in search results so long as it remains on GPSoft's server and so long as there is a link to it anywhere on the web.

For example, the page (direct link to GPSoft website, not Google cache) appears in the following searches:

"directory opus" comparisons
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22dir ... =firefox-a
result #3

"xyplorer" comparisons
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=100& ... ns&spell=1
result #40 approx.

"file manager" comparisons
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22fil ... =firefox-a
result #50 approx.

"xplorer2" comparisons
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22xpl ... t=100&sa=N
result #105

"directory opus" "xyplorer"
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=100& ... .22.7l30l0
result #30 approx

So it is possible for someone shopping around for a file manager to find the page with these or similar search terms. It would be better if GPSoft simply removed the page from their server. It will become increasingly out of date, so it is probably just an oversight. Don't be too hard on them. It can't be easy managing all your files without the best software.

It would be a different matter if they update the page, sometime in the future, with new DOpus features.

I hoped my previous post about the ubiquity of the phrase "flat view" would have killed this issue. I don't want it to become acrimonious. Everybody makes mistakes and has bad days. Some light-hearted ridicule followed by an acknowledgement from GPSoft that they goofed (by trying to claim "flat view" as exclusively theirs) would be best.

Explorerror.jpg (34.74 KiB) Viewed 4438 times

[eil]

nice picture above!

[admin]

...
So it is possible for someone shopping around for a file manager to find the page with these or similar search terms. It would be better if GPSoft simply removed the page from their server.

Confirmed, I also found it in google's search results. And, yes, that would be better. Better for me. But not for them. Which is probably the reason it's still up there.

[admin]

Explorerror.jpg

LOL, very good!