Re: [gpm] Re: Gnome 2.16 Module Proposal: GNOME Power Manager

[intech <macosx gmail com>]

On 4/9/06, Luis Villa <luis villa gmail com> wrote:
> Wrong. It only matters when you're getting so low you are in danger of
> losing work, or when the status changes, or in a couple other corner
> cases which can be designed for. It is *not* the most important thing-
> the most important thing is whatever work I'm actually *doing*.

Its not the most important thing, but it is something of some
importance. If it was the most important thing, it should intrude on
your current work and get more in your face. A simple notification
icon doesn't mean it requires your urgent attention, just that it is
something to worry about at some point in the future. If you are
plugged into the wall and your battery is full, nothing is happening
at all. Nothing that you should be aware of at all.


> I strongly recommend reading 'Designing From Both Sides of the
> Screen', where one of the simple design heuristics is to make software
> that acts like a butler (or in this case, a chauffeur.) As you drive
> around town, does your chauffeur say 'by the way sir, the gas tank is
> now 59% full.' (minutes pass) 'oh, now 58% full sir.' No. If your
> chauffeur did that, you'd fire him for being an irritating idiot. A
> good chauffeur tells you 'Sir, the tank is very nearly empty- shall I
> find a station?', and a great chauffeur asks you once 'how early would
> you like me to warn you about the gas, sir?' and then remembers that
> in the future. When you pull the plug out of the wall, I mean, when
> you come upon the sign that says 'huge desert- no gas for a long way',
> a good chauffeur says 'Sir, we only have enough gas for 299 miles at
> current consumption- would you like me to turn around?'
I think taking it as a more similiar example, it would be the gas gage
in a car. The way most that I've seen work is that it has the
indicator that is always there, and then has an additional light/beep
when the gas is getting extremely low. When the gas is not being
consumed at all (the car is off), the backlight goes off so you can't
really even see the gas gage well.
Gnome Power Manager should work the same way. It should show the
indicator whenever there is activity with the battery, when it gets to
a critical level, it should start asking you more loudly (use a
notification).

> When discussing the design of notification icons and applets, there
> are few things more compelling than the constant presentation of
> information that is distracting without being useful.
I have to argue that the information is useful. It allows one to plan
how to use their laptop. Here's my use cases:

- The previous night, I look at my laptop. If it has at least an hour
and a half (the length of my first class as there are no available
power plugs), I want less to do in the morning, so I pack up my laptop
for the next day. If it doesn't, I leave the laptop plugged in to
charge over night and pack it up in the morning. Therefore, its
important to show the status of the battery while its charging.

- As my day goes on and I am in my classes, I look at the battery
status at the beginning of each class and if it won't make it through
the class, I will plug it in. Therefore, it is important to show the
status of the battery while it is discharging.

- I obviously do not stare at the battery indicator, and in my last
class of the day, there is also no power plugs, so it is important for
me to be notified as the battery goes to a critical level. The
notification bubble pops up and alerts me of the latest battery
status.

- The weekend comes around and I am not actively bringing my laptop
around much and just leave it plugged in, so I'm not likely to care
much about the battery. The battery icon does not need to be in the
notification area, and as its not really alerting me of anything (my
laptop is basically acting like a desktop), it is not important for me
to know the status of the battery (well, I kind of do, my laptop has
been left plugged in).



>
> Luis
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