one question and one proposal

[Tom Vogt <tom lemuria org>]

the question first:

I heard that the "light beacon" stuff has found its way into the gnome cvs.
is there any code about this in the 0.20 release? are there any apps
currently that use this? what is the general status?



now the proposal:

I would like to propose some changes to the gnome default configuration,
strictly from a user interface point of view.

user interface is a complex theme and I do not believe I know all about it.
but I sincerely believe that it is very important and that gnome could use a
little bit of work in this aspect, to make it more useful, more easily
accessible to newcomers and much more user-friendly and intuitive.

one example:

I would like to propose a change in the panel's default structure,
especially a move away from the "single start button" philosophy. since it
first appeared in windoze 95, it has earned a lot of bad critics from user
interface designers, screen designers and simple users.

I have had a small discussion with a professional screen designer about this
(and other) topics and I have done a bit of research myself. if anyone is
even interested in making changes like this, I'd be glad to join that team,
and yes, interface decisions should always be a team effort.