Re: RSG, draft three

[Bowie Poag <bjp primenet com>]

> Rogue Gnome StyleGuide
> ======================
> 
> Foreword
> ========
> 
> This is NOT an official document, nor is it in any way related to the
> official Gnome User Interface Styleguide that is being maintained by 
> Bowie Poag and others.

One more time, Tom..

Maintained by Dan Kaminsky, Bowie J. Poag, Bill Swingle. 





> The levels of compliance are:
> 
> C1 - Mandatory (bare minimum)
>      Contains only the essential styles, so current programs can be brought
>      up to at least some level of compliance fast.
>      C1 features are considered to be of primary importance and non-compliance
>      will be considered a bug for Gnome applications.

Very, very bad idea. This is where experience comes in, Tom -- Not
personal opinion. Youre punishing the programmers by telling them what
theyve done so far is "buggy".. This is anything BUT incentive to improve.

> 
> C2 - Recommended (needed for a proper Gnome app)
>      Features and behavior needed to make an app a full-blooded
>      Gnome app.
>      Only applications meeting all of the C1 and C2 entries in this guide
>      should be considered "true" Gnome programs.

Define "full blooded" and "true".. These are ambiguous terms that will
aggrevate coders, because they are flimsy and nondescript. Compliancy is
NOT a beauty contest for apps.

You also cannot mandate behavior across applications. Bad choice of word,
I guess.

> 
> C3 - Suggested (should be there)
>      More advanced, harder-to-implement features, beyond the
>      call of duty, yet still within the core group of styles.
>      Should, but don't have to be implemented in finished programs, in no 
>      way mandatory for development versions.

Like what? What separates C2 from C4? You cant define one by relying upon
the definitions of others. There needs to be concrete, specific detail
here.

> 
> C4 - Optional (fringe feature)
>      "Nice to have" features that are considered useful, but may not
>      be appropriate for all programs and are not necessary even where
>      appropriate.
> 
> C5 - Under Development (cutting edge, not official style yet)
>      Experimental features that are not fully implemented or
>      supported yet. 
>      (Will fall into other categories when fully realized)
> 
> Exceptions will of course be allowed if the application or other circumstances
> require.

No exceptions. Your compliance levels should be flexible enough to
encompass everything from Barney The Dinosaur's Fun Math 1-2-3 to software
that controls nuclear reactors. It is the fault of the guide, not the
fault of the coder.

> 2.4  SYSTEM UTILITIES
> ---------------------

Define "system utilities". This definition varies from platform to
platform.

> 
> 3.1  GENERAL LAYOUT
> -------------------
> C2 - Dialog and other buttons in windows other than the main window should
> tend to be found at the bottom. for example, a dialog with only a single
> button to close the window should have that button at the very bottom.

Left justified? Right justified? Centered? Where is it?

> 3.2  MENUS
> ----------
> C1 -  If an application uses a menubar, it must contain at least
> two entries: "Program" and "Help". A third entry, "File" must be available
> if appropriate. In the event that the name "File" is not
> appropriate, another label may be used in its place. In the
> remainder of this document, this menubar entry will always be
> referred to as the "File" entry.

Thank god, "Prog" is dead. :)
> 
> C5 - [Pie Menus]

Untested thoeries do not belong within the main structure of any style
guide. Hold gun, aim gun at foot, pull trigger.


More later.
Bowie