What do you think of this idea:
Folders on HFS+ volumes are opened in a window with a blue frame, the same blue as the folder icon.
The blue shows that everything is OK.
Folders on HFS volumes are opened in a window with a beige frame.
It's beige to warn you that there are no long file names and no Unicode.
If you copy a file with a long file name or Unicode to a beige window, then it warns you that the name will be converted.
The beige refers to the oldies beige computers.
Folders on FAT volumes are opened in a window with a red frame.
It's red to warn you that there are no resource forks.
If you copy a file with a resource fork to a red window, then it warns you that the resource fork will not be copied.
I find that a better solution than the RESOURCE.FRK folders, because they cause trouble when you use the volume on a Windows PC.
Then I want to re-introduce the file copy with a modal dialog.
In the earlier Mac OS, when you copy, then it showed a modal dialog and you had to wait until it was done and then you could use the interface again.
So if you copy by dragging, then it behaves like in OS 9.
But if you also press the option key then it will first show a dialog.
Here you can choose:
- copy/move (like in Puppy Linux),
- copy/merge/smart merge (like in CopyAgent),
- foreground/background.
If you choose foreground then you get a modal dialog with a cancel button and maximum speed.
If you choose background then you can choose:
- how much CPU time do you want to use,
- wait until x seconds idle.
If you copy in the background and suddenly you want to do something in the interface, then it's practical if the copy is automatically paused as soon as you use the mouse or keyboard, and after x seconds of no mouse or keyboard event, it resumes the copy.
I do that already in the Async tools.
