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comments on the Quit command

I had some thoughts on the Quit command in the Application (or Apple, on
Mac OS 9) menu that I wanted to share. I hope you don't mind.

I think for me my real objection to the whole MRJQuitHandler business,
which I voiced in another thread, is misplaced. I think my real concern
is that Mac users should be able (in my view) to download any Java
application and run it safely, regardless of whether the author even
knows what a Mac is. After all, Mac OS X supports double-clickable jars
-- it's easy to do, unlike in Mac OS 9! So what troubles me is that if an
app is such that it really shouldn't be suddenly quit, there is no way of
removing or disabling the Quit command, even for users who know what
they're doing. Cmd-Q is so reflexive for me that I do it all the time
even when I know better.

I understand the desire to always provide a way out in case the Java
program in question doesn't provide one, as well as to always keep the
Application menu consistent and Quit where people expect to find it.
However, I think most Java apps DO provide their own Quit capability. I
would propose any combination of the following remedies to this:

- If the parent window of the app has a File Menu which contains a Quit
or Exit command (as many do), make the Apple Quit command generate the
same event that the application Quit does, so it gets handled the same
way. I have no idea of the feasibility of this, but it would be cool if
it could be done.

- When choosing Apple Quit, put up a warning dialog explaining that it
should only be used if there is no other way out of the program, as well
as a "do not show this to me again for this application" checkbox (or
something more elegantly worded than that). This would also presume that
Apple Java would have to keep track of each application to see if the
warning preference is set.

- Provide a command line switch, or reinstate some version the
com.apple.mrj.apple.menu.quit property available with MRJAppBuilder for
9, which will disable or remove the Quit command. Only power users or
developers would use it, so we wouldn't really have to worry about the
less sophisticated user being trapped in the program they can't get out
of.

- If nothing else can be done, at least remove cmd-Q from the menu
(perhaps, again, optionally via a switch or property) so a sudden quit
requires a little forethought.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

Ivan.
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