Re: To answer your question about the upcoming Style-Guide...

[Tom Vogt <tom lemuria org>]

Dan Kaminsky <effugas@best.com> wrote:
> >and that requires that he or she first of all KNOWS that it's possible.
> I'll say that again: I've done the tests and they show that with a single menu
> as the default people won't even TRY to create anything else.
> 
> Your tests are incomplete.

of course they are. :)

but I still think it's better than nothing at all.


> How many users do you know who have modified their start menus by hand?

of those who know that it's possible and how to do it? most. by they are a
minority.


> >true, but it's a fact that people DON'T read docs. they look into the
> online
> >help when they're lost. but in this case, they won't get lost, they'll
> >simply miss 90% of the functionality without noticing.
> 
> Did adding the icons to the gnome panel cause your users to drag and drop
> icons from somewhere else onto the panel?

I haven't done that test. I need fresh victims first.
however, if there are, say, four folders labeled "system", "apps", "games"
and "internet", I honestly believe people WILL start to wonder how they can
put their apps where they want, and the next step will be the question "hey,
can I create a quake folder?".



> We're drowning in analogies here, man, but missing the point.
true.:)

> *EVERYTHING*
> I've ever heard about UIs is consistency reigns supreme.  You can have lots
> of ways to load something, but those ways have to work to load something
> else.  This links back to my original mantra that "Everything that is
> consistent between applications should be accessable consistently between
> applications".  You can have multiple paths to the end, but the paths have
> to work for *everything* of that type.

true. but that doesn't touch the problem of one start button or several
folders, does it?


> There is definite value to non-gnomeprint symlinks and drawers on the panel.
> But, for newbies, there should probably be few symlinks(only the critical
> apps everyone uses) and no drawers("so all I have is games and networking
> apps?  where are my word processors?", extend for every single category).
> 
> A recent drawer would be a very good thing.

we are talking about a default configuration, true? I think the default
config should show the possibilities OR THEY WILL BE MISSED. that is all
there is to my point, but I consider it important enough to argue a lot
about it. :)


> >> >does it? cde has a few examples of this (clicking on the clock/calender
> >> >opens the calender app. now THAT is intuitive, isn't it?).
> >> In general we don't have situations like this.
> >no, but the point was that dynamic information and folders aren't
> exclusive.
> No, but in general they aren't, and when the user generates them like you
> want...
he has to know that it's possible first. so why not give him the example?
the calender app is the perfect example for this case.


-- 
The universe does not have laws -- it has habits, and habits can be broken.