Re: The target user and consequences

[Bowie Poag <bjp primenet com>]

> 
> The target user of GNOME will be neither
>   a Windows user, a Mac user, an Amiga user, me (sadly),
>   Miguel, a coder ...

Agreed.

> 
> GNOME will be (more or less) different from every other GUI.
> That means that everybody will have to learn to use GNOME efficiently.

Agreed.

> 
> Accepting that GNOME is different we should make it clear to the user 
> too. If we follow any other GUI too closely he will
> not tolerate the differences. The first impression must
> indicate clearly that this application follows the GNOME model
> and not any other.

Agreed. Nobody here wants GNOME to come off looking like a cheap
flea-market knockoff of some other desktop implementation.

> 
> After we create this expecation we must follow through.
> Whatever we decide to be top level GNOME behavior we must
> enforce it. As many people said consitency is the key.
> Consistency with ourself not with any other GUIs or
> expectations.

Wham-o.

> 
> The consequences:
> 
>   We should not follow the Windows look or feel or menu order ...
>   (substitute Amiga/Next/Mac)
>   if there is no good reason to do so.

Agreed.

> 
>   We need visual clues to brand applications as GNOME applications.
>   (I love the foot).
>   Some phantasic GUI elements to distinguish us from the rest,
>   would be great. (Not everything new, but something)
>   (colorreaction, ...)

Agreed, so long that it doesn't break consistancy.

> 
>   We need to enforce inner consistency.
>   (this will never allow emacs to be a real GNOME application :-( )

Agreed. This is why the UISG is being maintained by a small group of
people, based on the input from hundreds, of not thousands of people. Such
a document cant effectively be generated by a comittee of 300 people.

> 
>   We need to think very hard about what is required from a GNOME app.
>   The defaults we choose will be used 90% of the time, regardless
>   of themabilty (see emacs). But complete restriction will throw
>   people off (see KDE).

Agreed.

> 
>   The defaults should give room to expansion, (see emacs key binding).
>   (binding "alt" to menu open seams like a waste of an modifier).

Agreed. Extensibility is always a (tm) Good Thing.

> 
>   We need to come up with this standard pretty fast.
>   (The coders will hate the GUI proposel people
>    if they have to change their programs dramatically.)

Hmm.. I think theres a need to be prompt with the delivery of the UISG,
but not so "prompt" as to deliver an incomplete document into the hands of
GNOME, the coders, and the public.

> 
>   We have to accept compromises.
>   (I will sacrifice emacs, the program I use most of the time.
>    What do you sacrifice ? Menu entries ? ...)

Absolutely, but avoid them wherever possible.

> 
> 
> lets propose not flame
> 

A-friggin-men.:)

Bowie