Re: GWP and 'the foot'

["Yo 'Ric Dude" <ericmit ix netcom com>]

Now that I'm subscribed...

sungod wrote:
> J. Patrick Narkinsky wrote:

[snip explanation and history of "the foot" menu feature]

> which is more important, solid design or similarity to existing gui's?
> and to what extent?

What about the requirement that it just plain look cool? =)

> for those reading this on gnome-list, this is the sort of thing i'd like
> to see hashed out in gnome-gui-list, so if you're interested, fire off a
> subscribe message and join in. for those of us already working on it,
> let's get an answer here so we can put it in the guide and use it as a
> basis for all future designs.

done.

> comments? let's keep them in gnome-gui-list so the real coders can
> continue with real gnome issues uninterrupted by our flamewars. :)

1) First, and perhaps most importantly, It just looks cool.  It
   screams to the world "I was coded by gnomes" and therefore has
   some semblance of "brand" recognition as a result.

2) It does effectively handle the applications that don't deal with
   "files" or "documents" in a consistent manner. (i.e. gtcd, replay).
   I first noticed this on gedit last night, and immediately thought
   it was the greatest GUI idea since drop down menus.

3) It may not be immediately intuitive by looks alone as a menu
   item, that block is overcome fairly quickly.

   a) First, it's a foot, much like the "start" foot on the panel, so
      it's logical that a menu of sorts would be associated with it.

   b) Second, by position as the first item on the menu bar, it's
      associated with the "file->exit" menu item location.

   c) When a user first begins to use a new GUI application, there is
      a period of "discovery", where the user checks all menu options.
      Finding the exit menu item is much easier than, say, exiting vi
      or emacs the first time.

Ok, donning the asbestos suit, and standing back...

-- ebm
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