Application Indicators

Bug #527458
Comment #32

Comment 32 for bug 527458

Revision history for this message

Drew Snellgrove (forkinme-deactivatedaccount) wrote on 2010-03-25:

#32

Colin largely sums up my feelings on the matter as well as my interpretation of (what I see as a flaw in) Mark's perspective. Tooltip information is something that I check not just daily but several times per hour and include:

-Which WIFI network I'm connected to (I have to juggle a couple at work)
-The currently playing track in Rhythmbox
-Estimated time remaining on my battery
-Audio output percentage over 100%

What makes this especially aggravating [every ten minutes] is the latter two, which as others have explained are NOT available with a simple click at this time.

There are ways to beatify and improve tooltips (example here: http://blogs.gnome.org/mccann/2009/11/01/just-leave-it-on-the-counter/ ), and just naming obvious icons is certainly something that should be avoided as a properly designed icon SHOULD be self-explanatory. But removing them outright glosses over the place where tooltips truly shine, which is providing useful, specific, informative details that do not have a place in the primary GUI or that can be summed up in the icon. The perfect example is the battery meter icon which is easily identifiable without a tooltip, displays battery/adapter status, and an at-a-glance approximation of the charge. What it is unable to display without unnecessary clutter is the precise charge percentage and estimated time remaining, which are very useful details and should be available with absolute minimal interruption of the user's workflow.

Requiring several clicks and refocusing is ADDING to interruption and user interface clutter, not reducing it. The real consequences of this change are PRECISELY CONTRARY to the intended consequence. Yes tooltips are used poorly in some instances. A targeted approach to beautification and alignment with purpose is certainly due but mass removal is the completely wrong approach to the problem. I understand that it's too late to beautify and target tooltip issues individually but it isn't too late to leave them in place. To top it all off an LTS release when Ubuntu is at the height of its technological polish is absolutely the wrong place to leave such a glaring wound in the individual user's experience.

Colin largely sums up my feelings on the matter as well as my interpretation of (what I see as a flaw in) Mark's perspective.  Tooltip information is something that I check not just daily but several times per hour and include:

-Which WIFI network I'm connected to (I have to juggle a couple at work)
-The currently playing track in Rhythmbox
-Estimated time remaining on my battery
-Audio output percentage over 100%

What makes this especially aggravating [every ten minutes] is the latter two, which as others have explained are NOT available with a simple click at this time.

There are ways to beatify and improve tooltips (example here: http://blogs.gnome.org/mccann/2009/11/01/just-leave-it-on-the-counter/ ), and just naming obvious icons is certainly something that should be avoided as a properly designed icon SHOULD be self-explanatory.  But removing them outright glosses over the place where tooltips truly shine, which is providing useful, specific, informative details that do not have a place in the primary GUI or that can be summed up in the icon.  The perfect example is the battery meter icon which is easily identifiable without a tooltip, displays battery/adapter status, and an at-a-glance approximation of the charge.  What it is unable to display without unnecessary clutter is the precise charge percentage and estimated time remaining, which are very useful details and should be available with absolute minimal interruption of the user's workflow.

Requiring several clicks and refocusing is ADDING to interruption and user interface clutter, not reducing it.  The real consequences of this change are PRECISELY CONTRARY to the intended consequence.  Yes tooltips are used poorly in some instances.  A targeted approach to beautification and alignment with purpose is certainly due but mass removal is the completely wrong approach to the problem.  I understand that it's too late to beautify and target tooltip issues individually but it isn't too late to leave them in place.  To top it all off an LTS release when Ubuntu is at the height of its technological polish is absolutely the wrong place to leave such a glaring wound in the individual user's experience.