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

[Tom Vogt <tom lemuria org>]

Dan Kaminsky <effugas@best.com> wrote:
> >than how about my other proposal to change/extend this idea? installations
> >ARE done by root, but maybe the fitting in of the new icon to the panel
> >should be done according to user preferences...
> 
> Should?  Must is a better phrase.

ok.:)

> >then let them create RULES. do it via a simple (kiss!) interface. let them
> >click or select that anything with "game" in the keywords goes to the
> >"recreation" folder.
> 
> So where would "Starcraft" go?  No "game" in there.

note that I did explicitly make a reference to the lsm and keywords. an lsm
for starcraft would SURELY read something like "strategy, game, multiplayer"
or something like that.


> >as I said: ask the average windoze user how he can customize the start
> menu.
> >I'm sure the majority of replies will be like "I can customize the menu?".
> >:)
> >
> >that's one of the reasons I argue so strongly for SHOWING that it's
> > possible right from the start.
> 
> So how do you show it?

by having an EXAMPLE already there. if you have fresh victims around, do the
test. create a couple of folders with icons (possible already? didn't try
that in gnome v0.20) that have names like "games", "apps", "internet". put
your victims in front and watch their reactions. wait if and when they ask
if they can create or change these folders. if you have a victim with a
strong interest in, say, graphics apps, chances are higher, because he has
an immediate interest in customization.


> Screenplays are one way, stderr or stdhelp windows
> on the panel are another.
I don't think so, sorry.

screenplays - talked about that at length in the other mails.

stderr window - won't be used by newbies. if it doesn't pop up in a dialog
window, it can't be important. I don't think a newbie will even look at a
pure text window.


> Of course, it'd be best to have a self-documenting interface on this
> part...thinking...

examples ARE one part of documentation.

another idea would be tooltips on the panel. like if you rest the mouse on
the panel for a moment, a tooltip could pop up:

                left-click:  drag panel
                right-click: customize panel

I loved the way that enlightenment was able to display tooltips like popups
on EVERY window element. that was extremely useful.


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