Re: On GNOME 3.0 features

[Dylan McCall <dylanmccall gmail com>]

> I wasn't involved in this decision, but I do agree with it. The logic, I
> think, is that themeing is only used by a minority of users, and that
> installing an extra panel isn't a particular hardship for those users.
> The win is a control center that is a little lighter and which is more
> tailored to the majority of users. It's up to distros what they want to
> ship by default, of course.
>
> Just to clarify - nobody is proposing that users should not be able to
> change their theme, and I think everyone realises that themeing is
> important functionality for some users. Actually, themeing will be
> enhanced for GNOME 3.0, and there are some exciting ideas about how it
> could be done.
>

I agree that customising metathemes doesn't quite belong there. (I
never felt it got in the way, either, but then I don't know what it
looks like underneath). It would be nice if that stuff from Appearance
Preferences was moved straight into a new, independent tool people can
install, just to make the switch easier.

Since this is happening, how about killing those automatically
generated thumbnails for themes? If they're all going to be
pre-packaged, expect the packagers to include their own thumbnails.
That way they can focus on something that really communicates what the
theme looks like, and we won't end up with a massive grid of
practically the same icon again and again. (And it would load
faster!).

This does concern me with regards to accessibility, though. I
understand that there will be a new Universal Access panel, so will
that provide quick access to the different accessibility-focused
themes? What about fonts? Being able to choose a specific application
font size is one of the best things in Gnome and it is _incredibly_
helpful for accessibility. That specific feature has warmed the hearts
of many people I have introduced to Gnome. (And, indeed, helped them
use it).

Appearance Preferences seems the natural place for font selection to
go, but then it's also something that could be considered mission
critical. Maybe both? :)


Dylan