Re: User interface suggestions

[Nicolas Mailhot <Nicolas Mailhot email enst fr>]

Le jeu, 23 nov 2000 11:32:52, Adrian a écrit :
> Hi,
> 
> Again some suggestions, this time about a reviewed version
> of the
> most-used item concept, applied to the desktop and to
> applications in
> general:
> 
>   http://www.dit.upm.es/~aferrer/open/gnome/suggestions-november2000-II
> 
> Main points:
> 
> * Most-used item technology :) extended to only-icon bars,
> like the
> launcher bottom bar of the desktop, by converting in
> greyscaled icons the
> less used ones - in color the most used ones.

I don't think that's a good idea.
grayscale is already whidely used as a « disabled action »
indicator.
What you might do without confusing users is to use :
* « colored grayscale » for example « bluescale » for less
used icons
* « aura-ified icons » add a subtle aura around most used
ones.

> * In the tasklist, the concept has been applied too,
> including minimized
> tasks. I think here it'll be more useful to apply only to
> the tasks in
> current sesion.

If something is not used, it shouldn't be run. What you can
do is order tasks by usage. Anyway, I don't think there are
enough tasks in a tasklist for this to be useful.

> * In the suggestion for applications, menu&tool bars
> (which in my opinion
> could be fusioned in only one type of bar, with all the
> possibilities of
> only-icons, only-text, vertical-icons&text,
> horizontal-icons&text,
> ...) have received the technology too.

I agree on the fusion. Apps should provide lists of actions
(name + big/middle/tiny icon + tooltip + extended help +
accelerator + callback) and let the user populate menus and
convert between menus/toolbars/etc* (that's a gtk decision).

* text-menu, text-menu-with-tiny-icons, big-icon-menu,
big-icon-toolbar, icon+text toolbar, tiny-icon-without-text
toolbar ...

That's how the panel is starting to behave. But that
shouldn't be restricted to the panel, all gnome apps should
benefit from this too.

Right now accelerators/names (translated names)/icons are
not synchronized between menus/context-menus/toolbars
because they are treated as independant controls.

I disagree on your use of grayscale,
since it already means something else. And anyway what we
must agree on is « are less/most used items something useful
? ». 
The way they are colorized afterwards is a theme
decision.

> * Finaly the concept has been extended to files&folders
> management, as we
> can see in the application suggestion. It'd be applied in
> general to every
> window/dialogue that manages files/folders, like the
> open/save/find ones.

This part should be taken directly to nautilus lists IMHO.

-- 
Nicolas