Re: Plugins (was Re: F-Spot mission statement)

["Ben Monnahan" <monnahan gmail com>]

2006/8/28, Sam Barker <sam quadrocket co uk>:

...

I think things are getting a little confused here. I consider my self an
expert user of computer, but I am very much a casual user of my camera.
Certain features may be interesting relevant to certain users. For
instance; I didn't realise that camera would take photos as anything
other than jpeg until reading this list.

 
This is a great point.  Linux/tech knowledge is not the same as photography level.  We really have 4 broad groups of users to consider:
1. Linux savy - Pro/Semi-pro photographer

2. Linux savy - Casual
3. Linux  nonsavy - Pro/Semi-pro photographer
4. Linux nonsavy - Casual

The banshee approach to plugins seems to be a good one in this
situation. Offer a core set of supported plugins which are tested with
the main build etc but are actually separate bits of code. There is
nothing to stop other people supplying their own plugins if they wish
but those should be expected to work with the core set.

This would be my plan for F-Spot as well.  For instance the  SendEmail plugins for Evolution/Thunderbird/etc would be included.

This is as opposed to the firefox free for all.

Any plugin system implemented needs to have some way to prevent or at
least acknowledge conflicting tasks. Such as someone implementing loss
less rotation on export and another plugin offering lossy rotation.

We are hoping to share the plugin framework with Banshee, so hopefully we can get all this worked out in one place.
 

Designing a good intuitive UI is a very difficult and black magic task,
as one persons intuition is another persons voodoo magic.

So true in some ways, but I think in general that so far F-Spot has been very successful in keeping the basic things intuitive.

Ben