On Dec 11, 2010, at 21:32, Davide L. Ferrario wrote: > > On Saturday 2010 December 11, at 19:24 , Jason Grout wrote: > >> I recently got a Bamboo pen tablet and started using Skim to write >> notes >> on pdf files using the freehand annotation tool. As pointed out in an >> earlier mailing list thread [1], Skim has some design choices that >> make >> this very frustrating, namely that: >> >> 1. in freehand annotation mode, putting the pen down on a stroke >> you've >> drawn selects and moves the stroke instead of drawing another >> stroke, and >> >> 2. the last stroke written is always selected (so blue boxes keep >> appearing over the last thing wrote as you are writing). >> >> I've made a github clone of Skim and taken care of these two issues >> with >> two small patches [2]. Using my patched version, it is very natural >> and >> easy to write freehand notes on a PDF file. I just thought I'd post >> here in case anyone else is interested in using these patches or the >> patched version. > > Since summer 2009, I've been using tablets with skim, thanks to the > very welcomed feature added to fullscreen mode [see thread > http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/message.php?msg_id=23053657 > ] > > The fullscreen mode was a nice solution to some software design > constraints, if I've understood correctly the problem. This, until > version 1.3.5. > > Unfortunately, a couple of bug fixes fixed what actually were to me > not bugs but a features: > > Don't provide <Apple>-+ <Apple>-- magnification key bundings in > presentation mode (bug fixed in 1.3.8). > Don't show PDF previews in presentation mode (bug fixed in the 1.3.6). > > This issue has been partially discussed in > http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/message.php?msg_id=26473501 > . > > As said, about zooming in presentation mode, in the message of > November 3, 2010 by Christiaan Hofman "As I said, it is disabled by > design. If it was working in the past that was a bug, and we won't > reinstate bugs." My full gratitude to him, for the nice software made > available, but maybe sometimes the definition of bug might be re- > analyzed. To me some bugs might have been features, but of course I am > not qualified to talk about software design. > > The reasons I define them as features and not bugs will be shown > below. One of the basic reasons is that without apple-+ and apple- is > almost impossible to freehand annotate A4 pdf papers (which is > necessary to be done in presentation mode, by design). >
This was a real bug <https://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=3038330&group_id=192583&atid=941981>. When I have to choose between convenience and availability, the choice is really easy to make. Making things impossible is a bug, making things a bit less convenient is not a bug. Moreover, I have said this so many times, the Presentation mode is designed to be as simple as possible. In this case actually making things impossible is a feature, as you cannot do things by accident or things that may be hard to correct. It's also why we have two full screen modes. And not reconsideration. > Anyway, the solution I've found was to keep skim-1.3.5 (last working > version) with its bugs, which is better than nothing. Now I will try > this patched version, but I am usually afraid of forks: I would rather > prefer the features to be available without patching. Also, the idea > of switching to presentation mode to have freehand scribbling features > made sense to me, and I would rather prefer that choice. Probably re- > introducing keyboard zooming in presentation mode might break the > software design, but accomodate these needs (maybe, with a hidden > preference). > > But if two different versions (e.g., one with tablet support and the > other without) are necessary, the questions are: > Is there a way to have two different versions of Skim running on the > same computer? > Is it possible to keep two different preference profiles (for example, > one with automatical updates, the other not) in the same account? > > Now I come back to describe how I've been making use of the very good > features available in presentation mode, thanks to the tablet support > added to skim since summer 2009. I other words, I will advertise my > use of skim with tablets, and try to convince that some bugs might be > considered features. > > I've been giving lectures and seminars (mathematical tipics), worked > on document, and used the tablet features in presentation mode as > follows: > - for a real-time presentation (lecture or seminar): handwriting > over the pdf slides (arrows, highlighting, simple diagrams,...) > interacting with the audience. > - for freehand annotating a pdf document (typically, a students > assignment or a thesis draft, with handwritten comments), proof > reading, etc. > > Beside the freehand drawing feature, I've found two features/bugs > quite useful, in presentation mode: > > The first is that, until version 1.3.5, it was possible to have PDF > preview tooltips. The bug has been then fixed in 1.3.6. > Which also many users thought was indeed a bug. Who am I to believe? I follow reason, see above. I agree with many users that in presentation mode this was more an annoyance than a feature. > Well, maybe it was a bug, but it is possible to resize and reshape the > tooltip window (hidden preferences SKToolTipHeight and > SKToolTipWidth), and to add hyperlinks in the presentation PDF > document (LaTeX hyperref package) pointing > to previous theorems, definitions, remarks, figures... Then, hovering > over the reference number \ref{...} has the nice effect of visually > (and dynamically) recalling what the theorem/definition/remark was > about, by previewing the referred statement in a new tooltip window. > It is a very useful and appreciated effect. > Sorry, bad excuse, doesn't change anything to the equation (no discussion though). > The second, and more important, is that, until version 1.3.7, it was > possible to zoom in and out the document in presentation mode, with > the <Apple>-+ <Apple>-- magnification key bindings (bug fixed in > 1.3.8, no dreams). This feature is really necessary when the geometry > of the document to be shown is not the one of the screen, such as an > A4 or letter paper. Examples are a thesis, an article, and so on. The > possibility of showing and highlighting it during the seminar/lecture, > and scribbling on it during the proofreading or while just reading > and annotating it, is really useful. > > > Thank you very much, > Davide Huh? What difference does a4 or letter make? Anyway, I explained above, case closed. Oh, and don't forget that in Preview you also cannot zoom, and allows even less (e.g. no Full SCreen mode). In short, we always have to make compromises, I have to consider the bad sides of a design choice, even if you ignore it. I've learned the hard way that every feature is in fact also a bug. I've also often referred to a very important rule from Apple's HIG: the 80% rule says that one should develop for 80% of the users, not the other 20% or less. Learned that the hard way by breaking it too often. Christiaan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Oracle to DB2 Conversion Guide: Learn learn about native support for PL/SQL, new data types, scalar functions, improved concurrency, built-in packages, OCI, SQL*Plus, data movement tools, best practices and more. http://p.sf.net/sfu/oracle-sfdev2dev _______________________________________________ Skim-app-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/skim-app-users
