Feature-request for ls: colored timestamps according to mtime

[Karl Voit]

Hi!

I'd like to propose a feature that helps people browsing and listing
their files: colored timestamp information of ls output

The concept is originated from current personal information
management research and is already implemented in research GUI
filebrowsers.

The key thing:

address@hidden ~/tmp/lstest % ls -l
total 0
-rw-rw-r-- 1 karl karl 0 2009-11-12 14:42 test_lastweek
-rw-rw-r-- 1 karl karl 0 2009-11-19 14:44 test_now
-rw-rw-r-- 1 karl karl 0 2007-12-20 13:55 test_old
-rw-rw-r-- 1 karl karl 0 2009-11-18 08:13 test_yesterday
address@hidden ~/tmp/lstest %

The files were modified on very different days. Most of the time
users want to access only the recently ones. Besides "ls -t" it is
hard to spot them.


My proposal:

Use color information to highlight different time periods of mtime.


One possible implementation path:

Using several shell variables the user is able to define her
preferred time periods. E.g.

    NEWEST_FILES_DAYS=1
    NEWEST_FILES_COLOR=brightwhite
    OLDER_FILES_DAYS=14
    OLDER_FILES_COLOR=gray

         (... there should be way better variable names)

-> from the example above:

"test_now": the column of time "2009-11-19 14:44" will be displayed
in brightwhite

"test_yesterday" and "test_lastweek": the column of time information
will be displayed in normal foreground color

"test_old": the column of time "2007-12-20 13:55" will be displayed
in gray color

The user is able to determine new files and pretty old ones very
easily and intuitive. Older files seem to "fade away". The user
experience is similar to paper that changes color with age.


Greetings from Graz/Austria!

-- 
Karl VOIT
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