Peter Todd wrote:

>> The nice thing is to see the list filtering down while typing. At every
>> letter I type, I see how many entries are there to browse, if I decide
>> I'm done with filtering. This is a typical GUI function that doesn't
>> lend itself well to command lining.
> 
> Actually similar kinds of functionality has been implemented for command
> line apps before. For instance in bash, hitting tab shows you the list
> of command, filenames, options whatever that would best match what you
> are typing.

I know (and use) that (just because I'm using Windows doesn't mean that I
can't use non-default shells, for example :), but this is not the same. 

I have some 4k bookmarks in my list. When I type a letter, that starts to
filter down, e.g. typing 'e' into the filter field results in 1k bookmarks
listed. And so on -- it's (almost, of course) instantaneous, and it doesn't
require an additional (superfluous) keystroke. Given that we're talking
about the whole data content in a computer, often tens of gigabytes,
hitting tab to get a list may not be that practical, and hitting tab only
to see the number of currently selected hits would be regarded a nuisance
by many (I start this group :). Besides, when you introduce a feature to
work with the large numbers, say by displaying a number of hits instead a
list above a certain threshold, that requires that you set a threshold --
which is ok for scripting and automating but usually counterintuitive for
normal manual use. So you set the threshold to 30 and get 35 without an
obvious next filter character -- you think "crap, should've set the
threshold to 35" and recall the command and set the threshold higher.

Besides, /seeing/ the filtering work /as you type/ is really neat. This is
a very different experience from the bash style tab feature.

Gerhard

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