Re: Is 2.2 actually going to ship with accessibility themes

[Jeff Waugh <jdub perkypants org>]

<quote who="Bill Haneman">

> Size is not a toggle between "big" and "not big".  One of the primary
> problems with jrb's suggestion is that it regresses the ability for themes
> to specify an actual font size and set of icon sizes, in favor of a
> catch-all setting.
> 
> Even if the initial 2.2 low-vision themes use a uniform font size
> as-packaged, it's important to be able to change that size without having
> to rebuild GNOME.  And of course some users/installations may need more
> than one "specified in the theme" font size.

Surely we could have either:

  a) an actual point size specified in GConf for 'big', or (because you're
     saying that 'big' isn't the issue)
  b) an set of point sizes specified in GConf for 'small', 'default', 'big'
     or whatever?

Both of these could be modified as the user/adminstrator sees fit, perhaps
in the a11y capplet. This seems more flexible and better placed than
defining them in the theme (given that users will not be able to modify
sizes defined in the themes to their requirements).

> > Sounds like a quick hack to me (and at this stage, it's a good quick
> > hack - let's fix it later on).
> 
> No, it's a regression from the point of accessibility.  There is no need
> for a hack when the current solution (i.e. having separate themes for
> large print) works better.

(I was referring to the current 'quick hack' of using themes to define the
font size - good for now, but is it really the *best* way of doing this? I
understand that it works, that's fine, but are you absolutely sure that we
cannot do better?)

> What, then, if some developers want to write additional low-vision themes?
> And if users want/need to install them?
> 
> Also, reducing the number of RC-file component themes in 2.2 requires a
> new mechanism for setting and specifying icon size sets, which I don't
> believe we have yet (unless jrb has added this to the capplet).

There's a 'choose the icon theme' tab in the Themes capplet now, but not a
'define a complete icon theme' utility. These don't have much to do with
fonts. :-)

- Jeff

-- 
   "Everyone says they like Free Software - not everyone is ready to make   
         the tough choices to make it happen." - Maciej Stachowiak