Re: gCalcTool
On Tue, 2006-07-18 at 16:33 -0300, Edir wrote: > get this i notice now that i need to uncheck the option CTRL+U, i > don't know the name in English. "Use Arithmetic Precedence" > I don't know if i'm right, but i think that Ubuntu, that is made for > Humans, need to use the default calculator mode like a simple mode and > not like expressions. What do you think about? Interesting problem. On the one hand, arithmetic precedence should be a usability improvement because it's more intelligent, and more "math like". On the other hand, the whole interface looks like you typical desk calculator, thus it isn't surprising that users would expect it to behave as a typical desk calculator. So, either you can do as the OP suggest, have that option off by default, or the UI could be changed to further suggest that the application behaves more like your typical graph paper than your typical desk calculator. A third alternative that might make things really interesting is to change the interface to require reverse polish notation ;P Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: Logout icon
On Thu, 2006-05-18 at 13:11 +0200, Manu Cornet wrote: > * The arrow points to the right. This is perfect for the top-right > icon : it will point towards the outside of the screen. This matches > the "reading sense" in most countries : in a comic book, you'll very > often see characters going out of the scene by going right, not left. > Maybe we need to reverse this for right-to-left locales ? I just had to bite on this ;) To me the action of logging out is a kind of regression: returning to a previous state, outside, again. Thus I feel the natural direction to point the arrow would be left. This hits me every time I log-out with that button it just feels awkward that it points to the right, which signifies progress. Of course, it's probably just me... =p Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: GEdit interface suggestion
On Tue, 2006-05-09 at 14:10 -0400, Andy Somerville wrote: > I think for many people the greyed out save button is intuitive, and > this context clue is used in many peices of sofware. Look at firefox > for examle: the Stop button is disabled if pressing it would have no > effect. Intuitively I think that save isn't possible rather than isn't necessary. If for example the document was opened from a read-only source, or if gnome-vfs suddenly lost it's connection to the data source. > However, it is worth pointing out that there is also a significant > amount of software which does not use this clue. But it's certainly true that symbols like this will form a cultural meaning so that they in time will have an "intuitive" meaning that matches the actual system state. Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: GEdit interface suggestion
On Tue, 2006-05-09 at 19:31 +0200, Petr Tomeš wrote: > According to your logic you I never stated that I was being logical. I just said that I had strong feelings on the subject. > Sorry but I really think the problem with this "feature" is rather > with your habits than with software itself. If it's only MY habits so, okay, I'll have to retrain. But if there are more users like me, then the software really is flawed. > But I also think this feature should be easily configurable for those, > who don't like it! I don't think the problem is whether the user can or can not do an unnecessary RAM-to-disk sync. Is it possible that the whole concept and metaphor is flawed? What if the memory management was handled entirely by the software, and the "save" button was abolished all together. My particular use case, and other "real" use cases, could instead be solved by some kind of branch management metaphor. Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: GEdit interface suggestion
On Fri, 2006-05-05 at 18:32 +0200, Francesco L. wrote: > I think the "Save" button on the toolbar should be greyed-out when the file > is already saved, > like in OpenOffice. I think this is an awful idea. I REALLY hate this "feature" in OO. > A greyed-out Save button is a better visual feedback about the state of the > document than the > asterisks on the tabs and on the title bar. I use the save button not only to move data from RAM to disk. I mainly use it end a line of thought, or when ever I do a mental context switch. Hitting that save button meas "Yea, I'm sure. Next!" Many times I just lean back to think for a moment, hitting the save button from time to time, each time to end that thought, or doing another iteration of it. It is also true that when I cannot press the button, I do NOT think: "ah it's already saved, good." I think. WTF the software is broken, I cant use the save function, is the HD offline? Why is it impossible to save at this time? Should I be nervous? Will my data get lost because of this inability? I know the software is trying to say that the data is in sync, but can I really trust it? I don't trust software enough to let it make that kind of decisions for me!" Sorry for the rant. But this "feature" has been bugging me for a while now. Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: (Yet another) new logout dialog
On Fri, 2006-03-31 at 12:37 +0200, Eric Feliksik wrote: > It is late in the release cycle, and chances are the dialog won't/can't > be changed anymore, but you constructive suggestions are always most > welcome. (Pointing to the things that are currently bad is ok, but > suggesting a nicer alternative is better). Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I guess some frustration got through there. I've been trying to suggest that some of the unrelated functionality would be better off in the "System" menu. Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: (Yet another) new logout dialog
On Thu, 2006-03-30 at 21:13 +0200, Eric Feliksik wrote: > I agree with you that the dialog doesn't "talk by itself". This could be > softened by a help-thing, which is better than nothing. But can we do > something about the problem itself? Isn't the problem that it tries to do to much? It's called the "logout dialog", to me this is a small hint that you use it when you want to logout. Why is it crammed with all the other cruft? -- John Nilsson You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother. -- Albert Einstein -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: "Log out" menu item
On Wed, 2006-03-22 at 16:22 +, Matthew East wrote: > Here's my suggestion: remove "Lock Screen" from the dialogue, and call > it "Exit..." You'd probably have to remove "Switch User" too. And while > at it, it'd be nice to remove Standby and Hibernate. In stead of "Switch User", how about a "Switch to >" submenu with an entry for each user? Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: Desktop files
If you guys find the inspiration I think the messages from the various init-scripts could do with a similar harmonization of wording and naming conventions... Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: Icons: Yasis vs. Dropline Nuovo
On Tue, 2006-02-07 at 13:48 +, Henrik Nilsen Omma wrote: > Yasis: http://art.gnome.org/themes/icon/1168 > Dropline Nuovo: http://art.gnome.org/themes/icon/1112 This thread inspired me to try some icon themes. It turns out that Ubuntu comes with an icon theme called Sandy which I kind if stuck to. It's the folders, something about their size and/or shape makes it more believable that they can and do contain other objects. So even if you don't like this theme, maybe it's possible to experiment with this trait from a usability view point. Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: For those who care about the notification-daemon
On Mon, 2006-01-23 at 15:43 +0100, Michael Vogt wrote: > 2. use the new look unchanged (same as in breezy): > http://people.ubuntu.com/~mvo/notification-daemon/notify_unchanged_small.png > Comments/Suggestions welcome! I like number 2 the best. It isn't a window or other control panel interface, it's just a message. It looks fragile, like it will go away if you nudge it, so: no need for a close button. Just don't assign it any other behavior. Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: Gnome-app-install facelift
On Fri, 2006-01-13 at 17:19 +0100, Michael Vogt wrote: > I you have idea/suggestions/critic on the new design, it's a good time > to raise them now :) The new design looks great. One area that needs improving though is the timing of the password dialog. It would be much better if the password was only asked when it's actually needed. Having to become root just to search for apps is no good. Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: A new logout dialog (v2)
On Thu, 2005-12-15 at 12:33 -0200, Matthew Paul Thomas wrote: > Another way would be to not fade out the screen until *after* I click > "Sleep" or "Hibernate". To fade out before then is silly, because you > have to snap back to the unfaded state for anything other then sleep or > hibernate. The problem, that the fade out effect doesn't only darken the image but also freezes it, remains. I have for example trouble with this when entering a password in gksudo. As I can't see what I type I must rely on muscle memory, and this in turn rely on me using an 'us' layout of the keyboard while I sometimes have an 'sv' layout. Switching between layouts isn't that hard, but I can't tell from the keyboard indicator that it has actually switched when the screen is faded. My example isn't a problem when it comes to logging out. But I'm sure that someone with other needs can run into related troubles... Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: A new logout dialog (v2)
On Wed, 2005-12-14 at 11:50 +0100, Manu Cornet wrote: > Huh, right. Oops. I was just very stupidly doing what I was told :) I'll > change that into "Exit", which seems fine to me. But I still need to > figure out how to make the faded out background to redraw when tooltips > disappear (if anyone has a clue, be welcome to mail me !). One way would be to use one of the composite managers and just create a full screen semitransparent window. Not a great idea for Dapper though, they are still rather immature. Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: A new (nearly finished) logout dialog
On Thu, 2005-12-08 at 14:31 -0200, Matthew Paul Thomas wrote: > > to display some confirmation dialog, and you still need to know > > whether the user wants to save the session or not... > > Not necessarily. I don't think "Save current session" is important > enough to ask about at every exit. If saving the session is useful to > you some of the time or all of the time, you can set that in the > "Sessions" preferences. Then if you have the setting turned on but it's > not useful on an individual occasion, that's no big deal, you can just > close the windows you don't want before you log out (or after you've > logged in the next time). Why is this an option at all? The most sensible thing to do is to save as much state as possible. I'm not even sure that the option to turn it off should be reflected anywhere except maybe as a gconf key. Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: A new (nearly finished) logout dialog
On Tue, 2005-12-06 at 12:08 +0100, Frederic Gaus wrote: > > 1. > I guess usally the user want's to shutdown the computer (or restart). > In my eyes, "logout" is less important. So why is it the most > conspicuous button? > > Why is the most important button (=shutdown) the last one the user > sees > (the users reads from left to right and from top to bottom). Further > it > should not be near to the Cancel-Button, which drops much more > attention > because of its border. > Please don't assume that the whole world is reads LtR. I assume that GTK supports locale dependent button ordering. Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: A new (nearly finished) logout dialog
On Tue, 2005-12-06 at 01:46 +0100, Manu Cornet wrote: > > Hello ! > > I've been working on the dialog again, and taking pictures (since > nothing seemed to work for screenshots, even Xnest or Xephyr -- they > don't get the dialog content and theme right, etc.). The page is poor > (so are the pictures), but here it is : > > http://www.manucornet.net/GNOME/logout_dialog/ Hmm, I kind of envisioned the shutdown, hibernate, suspend buttons be in a column on the right, not in a row... just a thought... "Are you sure you want to log out?" might not be the best title regarding the alternatives. For some reason I want to place something to align the buttons around. Like a huge Ubuntu logo or some scrolling credits or something. It doesn't feel like the "Save current setup" thing belongs in that dialog. And Log Out doesn't feel comparable to the others. If the title is kept, the Log Out button can be dropped and instead an OK button can be at the bottom. Hmm, I'm not being very constructive here. Just regard this mail as brainstorming. Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
Re: A new (nearly finished) logout dialog
On Mon, 2005-12-05 at 08:27 +0100, Manu Cornet wrote:
>
> Hi !
>
> > Would "gnome-screenshot --window" help?
>
> Hmm, well the problem is that I can't access anything else while the
> logout dialog is open (you can try it yourself with the present version
> as well), can't switch desktop or go to another window or command line.
> I think I'll try and see what I can do with Xnest...
Ctrl+Alt+F1 works fine for me...
> > Would it be possible to add some tiny
> > emblem to make them distinguishable for color blind users? Like a "zZ"
> > and a small battery/harddrive/chip...
>
> Sure, I could do that. Of course, the icons won't be alone, the
> corresponding action will be written under each of them ("Shut Down",
> "Log out", etc.). But a little more visual information might be useful ?
If it can be done in a nice way. As you say, the text will be there
anyway.
Regards,
John
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Re: A new (nearly finished) logout dialog
On Mon, 2005-12-05 at 02:00 +0100, Manu Cornet wrote: > Since I don't know how to do a screenshot while > this dialog is active (if you know, tell me ! ^^) > Would "gnome-screenshot --window" help? > * I thought a long time about what icons to use for Hibernate and > Suspend. Then I talked a little with the Tango guys, and we agreed that > the best way actually was to use the main "Shut Down" icon, and use > three different colors (red for real shutdown, blue for hibernate, > orange for suspend). Here let me quote what Jon Wood said : "I think the > problem here is conveying the different types of shutting down to > non-technical users, since in a lot of cases the result seen is the same > for all of them - the screen turning off, and possibly the fans > stopping." (see the tooltip suggestion below). I really like those icons, nice! Would it be possible to add some tiny emblem to make them distinguishable for color blind users? Like a "zZ" and a small battery/harddrive/chip... Regards, John -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
