Unity

Bug #668415
Comment #115

Comment 115 for bug 668415

Revision history for this message

realn (realn-hotmail) wrote on 2011-10-02:

#115

I would like to say a few things:
1) There is a difference between "limiting" the options and "not having" them. We don't want to do as some other people, who say that the users don't know what they want, we have to tell them.

2) I suggest the following iteration:
2.1.) take any OOTB experience - not a random one, though :-) (within realistic limits, of course - GUI design guidelines, dev resources, etc.)
2.2.) implement it
2.2.) synthesize(save) the experience in a configuration file (all the Unity configuration can be saved in a /some files, right?)
2.3.) a poll is made where the users post their configuration file. A merge is made, the most common configurations are identified by name and proposed as a mainstream OOTF experience (I propose "Sparta" as the most widely used one - there can be such a thing as a GUI Democracy, right?)

This can be repeated a number of times, until the "real" mainstream is attained.

3) My opinion on DE in general:
3.1.) Component interaction as straightforward as possible - drag&drop, right click, etc.;

  3.2.) Component customization - there are so many common-sense things so difficult/impossible to get. Examples:
  - windows titlebar text font/size/color;
  - icon sizes/text/appearance in general - systray, taskbar, quicklaunch icons are so hard to customize, sometimes impossible;

3.3.) Component integration - the most overlooked and missed one. Examples: wheel scroll on a power manager icon SHOULD do something (change the brightness, or the current power scheme, etc.); wheel scroll on a mixer icon SHOULD do something (change volume, change default output device, etc.). Anything that is on the screen SHOULD interact in some way with the user. Not the other way around.

3.4.) DE INTEGRATED apps - system monitor, time/date/weather applet, taskbars, systrays should be part of the DE and not "just another app".
Stand-alone system monitors, time/date applets where you cannot change anything, taskbars with no possibility to change the colour of the text, or display only the text/only the icon should not be thought of as part of the DE itself. They're just "some apps".

There are so many things in current DEs that I think are not treated synergistically that I cannot stop asking myself every time I turn on my computer: why, oh why?

PS When can we see a systray where the size of EACH icon can be set independently?
PPS As long as we stick to current paradigm, a DE is incomplete without some gesture functionalities. Please see easystroke.

Please note that all these comments are my personal views and thought that I try to live with, it might be 100% irrelevant to current topic; I just felt I needed to say it and it seemed that here there was a good place.

I would like to say a few things: 
1) There is a difference between "limiting" the options and "not having"  them. We don't want to do as some other people, who say that the users don't know what they want, we have to tell them.

2) I suggest the following iteration:
 2.1.) take any OOTB experience - not a random one, though :-) (within realistic limits, of course - GUI design guidelines, dev resources, etc.)
 2.2.) implement it
 2.2.) synthesize(save) the experience in a configuration file (all the Unity configuration can be saved in a /some files, right?) 
 2.3.) a poll is made where the users post their configuration file. A merge is made, the most common configurations are identified by name and proposed as a mainstream OOTF experience  (I propose "Sparta" as the most widely used one - there can be such a thing as a GUI Democracy, right?)

This can be repeated a number of times, until the "real" mainstream is attained.

3) My opinion on DE in general:
  3.1.) Component interaction as straightforward as possible - drag&drop, right click, etc.;

3.4.) DE INTEGRATED apps - system monitor, time/date/weather applet, taskbars, systrays should be part of the DE and not "just another app". 
Stand-alone system monitors, time/date applets where you cannot change anything, taskbars with no possibility to change the colour of the text, or display only the text/only the icon should not be thought of as part of the DE itself. They're just "some apps".

There are so many things in current DEs that I think are not treated synergistically that I cannot stop asking myself every time I turn on my computer: why, oh why?