Max Binshtok wrote: > I don't get > why don't you *encourage* such use. And actually make it in a way hard > to do and explicitly discourage it.
Ms. Hackborn already answered this, but I'll try to elaborate/restate the point below. > While people are trying to > "emulate" some of the icons or make some other icons to be > consistently looking with the icons used on the platform, and each > application brings with it all those icons while installed - it could > be much better to have those icons readily available for reuse. What icons? The ones in the Android open source platform? The ones in HTC Sense? How about the ones in MOTOBLUR? Or perhaps you were thinking of the ones on the ARCHOS 5 Android tablet? It's not like those are all the same or anything. Freedom is rarely free. There are always tradeoffs. Android gives device manufacturers the freedom to change up the UI in cosmetic ways, for whatever reason the manufacturer chooses. The tradeoff is that manufacturers will have the utter audacity to actually use that freedom, and change the icons. Perhaps they think their icons provide a material improvement in the device usability. Perhaps they are just trying to make a distinctive theme, to help distinguish their devices from the pack. Perhaps they just have some graphic designers inventing work for themselves, or a million monkeys at a million copies of Photoshop cranking out icon sets, or something. What Ms. Hackborn pointed out is that there is no single icon target for you to aim for. Yes, you can make icons that blend with stock Google Experience devices, but those icons may or may not blend with anything else. Rather than lead you down the primrose path, thinking that there is One True Icon Set, the core Android team is forcing you to face the reality that the only thing you can keep consistent is your own icons within your own app, and you are better served doing that under your own control from the outset. Now, in many ways, I agree with you. It would be nice if device manufacturers wouldn't frak around with the icons. They can fuss with the home screen to their hearts' content, for all I care, but it would be nice to have consistent icons. Alas, 'tis not meant to be. I crossed that mental Rubicon several months back, which might be the thread that Ms. Hackborn alluded to. > The only potential problem that I really see with this is that you > release set X of icons and HTC or someone else will release set Y with > some of the icons missing Or looking radically different. Like, say, in living color. -- Mark Murphy (a Commons Guy) http://commonsware.com | http://twitter.com/commonsguy _Android Programming Tutorials_ Version 1.0 Available! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
