RE: A call to action

["Gerry Chu" <gerrychu bigfoot com>]

> > I think some core GNOME developer (eazel?) needs to organize the mailing
> > list, the hitsquad, and developers to commit to a written down
> process on
> > how new ui designs for GNOME / GTK programs and widgets are going to be
> > finalized into _release_ form.
>
> What sort of written down process do you have in mind? And does it
> require that degree of formality? (I've no idea how the decision
> making structure within GNOME works.)
>
> It shouldn't be too hard to make for each discussion a document
> containing a description of our suggestions and then to present that
> document to the appropriate people. However, we may require more
> discussion with the developers than that would provide...

I think that whatever we do, we have to involve the maintainers and
developers of the component itself, as no one likes to be told how their
little piece of GNOME should look like.

The idea was floating in my mind that a committee form, composed of people
from the gui-list, gtk, eazel, and helixcode that can make a commitment to
work on designing GNOME for a significant time period, and can back up their
opinions with design principles.  The committee would start with current or
hitsquad designs, and go around to the maintainers or the mailing list of
the component being designed, and work something out.  So basically, the
committee will say what GNOME will look like, and perhaps necessarily by
extension, what the feature set for the next release will be.  We would have
to get agreement from the developers and from semi-GNOME projects (like
sawfish) to give the committee that responsibility.  I also understand Eazel
is thinking about putting together a ui testing lab, so the committee could
work with that too.  Finally, when the component is redesigned, it would be
put up on the www or shown to the greater mailing list itself for comment.

Sub-committees could also form to work on default keybindings and UI
guidelines.  Yes, it would be a very big undertaking, and yes, it would
probably have to be quite formal.  But it would solve the current problem at
hand: (with the exception of Eazel) GNOME is being designed with no
direction and no experience with ui design.

Problems with the idea: it would be much easier if everyone was in the same
room together to sketch designs out.  Getting everyone to agree to having
the committee design their ui.

Comments?  Eazel people, speak up, I know you have an interest in designing
the ui, so tell us what your plans were and how you like this one.

Gerry