Re: desktop entry names, generic?



On 16 Jun 2004, at 18:14, Bryan Clark wrote:
*SNIP*
This separation of the two names provides us with the ability to give
functional names to applications when there is only one application
installed (having only one image viewer means that "Joe Image Viewer"
displays as "Image Viewer".  This also gives proper names to
applications when there is more than one installed (having two image
viewers would display what each applications name is, "Joe Image Viewer"
and "Crackbox Image Viewer").

Problem being that in this discussion came the idea that the GNOME base
applications should carry only the GNOME brand.  When I say the GNOME
brand, what I mean is _no brand at all_.  So if "Joe Image Viewer" is
part of the desktop release and the default GNOME Image Viewer it's menu
item name remains "Image Viewer", no matter how many other Image Viewer
applications are installed in parallel.  Now when the user installs
"Crackbox Image Viewer" the "Joe Image Viewer" retains the name "Image
Viewer" as it's 'brand' or proper name is to be a part of the desktop.

As a short side note to this of course is that if the user uninstalled
"Joe Image Viewer", then the "Crackbox Image Viewer" would display it's
generic name "Image Viewer" because it would be the only application of
that generic name.

Couldn't this cause a *LOT* of confusion when users start saying "Image Viewer" is broken, it has bug x. Or someone reviews Gnome and talks about lack of support of feature x in "Image Viewer" --- because of all these cases you've given, we'll have *no idea* which "Image Viewer" the user is talking about. They may have multiple installed and thus be talking about the Gnome-blessed "Joe Image Viewer" or they may not have had "Joe Image Viewer" installed with their distribution for one reason or another an thus were using "Crackbox Image Viewer" all along--and they never even knew it. Now we wouldn't even be able to easily tell without having them start the application and tell us what the window title is (assuming window titles don't follow the same convention!).

I certainly understand the intent, but I think this could lead to lots of confusion in another direction...

Julian




[Date Prev][Date Next]   [Thread Prev][Thread Next]   [Thread Index] [Date Index] [Author Index]