Re: [Gimp-developer] Search Action dialog feature



Srihari Sriraman wrote:

Have we had a chance to look into this?

On Sat, Nov 30, 2013 at 11:06 AM, Jehan Pagès <jehan marmottard gmail com> wrote:
Hello Peter,

Some time ago, a contributor developed a very interesting feature,
allowing to search actions with natural language keywords
(https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=708174).

I have also written an exhaustive specification draft of the current
implementation:
http://wiki.gimp.org/index.php/Specs:Action_Search_Dialog

This specification details the search algorithm, and the GUI interaction.

OK, I have looked at that spec.

then I thought about it for hours, and here is why:

this thing is still giving me a serious stomach ache

(I hope you guys realise that when something that is 100% UI
gives me a stomach ache, that is quite significant)

even trying to explain to you (and me) why this gives me
a stomach ache, gives me a stomach ache.

I could talk long or short about all its aspects, but
I have decided to cut it short and tell you this about it:
when I read the spec or think about TITo, this comes to my
mind, second by second:

‘that is OKish, give these guys a break’
‘that is awful, completely misguided’
‘that is OKish, give these guys a break’
‘that is awful, completely misguided’
‘that is OKish, give these guys a break’
‘that is awful, completely misguided’
‘that is OKish, give these guys a break’
‘that is awful, completely misguided’

so after hours of thinking I have come to this conclusion:

the problem with TITo is that as it stands now it is a
conflicted mix of two intentions:

1) a help system via text search to learn using GIMP

2) a command-line system for operating GIMP

some note:

- yes, for me 1) maps to ‘give these guys a break’ and 2) to
 ‘completely misguided’ sort term _and_ long term;
- if you are serious about “Text-based Intent driven Tool”
 then you have to build a synonym list for all keywords,
 in all localisations; else you are just bluffing;
- with different people working on it, I suspect they have
 different intentions, or are conflicted internally themselves;
- since TITo is right now a random mix of 1) and 2), it is
 really not working for either intentions; things implemented for
 1) get in the way of 2) (and vice versa);

when I had me face-to-face meeting with Mitch to patch things up
we did talk about TITo (that’s how big an issue it is...).

I said: when a version of GIMP comes out with TITo in it
and the press writes about it:

“GIMP now has a command-line system for operate it”

then we have a all lost, big time, because a million users
then expect that this will actually make sense
(and btw: I lose the most, because this is a pure UI matter)

when the press writes:

“GIMP now has a help system via text search to learn”

then we have a chance that this will be useful for
a good chunk of our users, some of the time.

all this is not about what we tell the press for that release,
this is about what TITo _is_, what it is designed to be.

being a conflicted mix of two intentions is certainly not
going to help TITo in any way.

some more things that are very important:

- even if TITo response time is instant, keyword formulation ->
  typing in a text based interface is not exactly fast;
  please drop the ‘its fast’ argument;
- I read in the bug report that peple are contemplating changing
  labels of menu items to help TITo to perform better;
  that is the most dangerous thing I have heard in a long while;
- if anyone is serious about solving how to help serious GIMP
  users with faster use of plugins and other sprawling stuff,
  let me know; it can be designed...

    --ps

        founder + principal interaction architect
            man + machine interface works

        http://blog.mmiworks.net: on interaction architecture





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