Re: Session Properties and Crack up Programs

[Christian Rose <menthos menthos com>]

mån 2002-05-20 klockan 19.25 skrev textshell neutronstar dyndns org:
> > 'Show splash on login' [3]
> > [3] damn it, we're GNOME! let's show it!
> 
> Ever heard about "splash screens are bad"? Do it if you have to, but most likely
> some kiosk-systems will suffer, or some other thing.

I might also add that as far as I know, the reason splash screens in
many cases are bad are:

1) They interfere with your ability to work with other applications at
the same time, i.e. when you start an application and then want to
continue with another application during the time it takes for the other
application to start; well you can't, since a borderless splash window
usually just gets in the way.

2) Usually splash screens are not needed. The primary purpose of a
splash screen should be to indicate progress during the start of the
application, and many applications start fast enough so that this is not
needed, and the overhead of the splash screen would be the major
application startup delay.

I don't think any of this applies to the GNOME splash screen. 1) doesn't
apply because you aren't working with other X applications at the GNOME
startup, and 2) doesn't apply because (at least in my experience with
GNOME 1.4) GNOME has a noticable delay in startup even on fast machines.

On the contrary, the splash screen progress is pretty important in this
case I think, as if you aren't able to easily monitor the harddrive
activity leds or hear the harddrive noise (as with a computer case in a
silent box etc.), you will have no indication of progress during the
load time.


Christian