[GnomeMeeting-list] Vertical vs Horizontal

[Damien Sandras <dsandras seconix com>]

I'm very disappointed by the aggressive reactions that I read on the mailing list about the
vertical toolbar. I hope that this mail will be the last, because I don't want to answer again
and again.

The vertical toolbar is a way to prevent to have a wide GM, with a small height, what is not
beautiful at all. But it is a matter of taste. Some people prefer Lamborghini, some prefer Ferrari,
and others like both or dislike both. This is life. I agree that for a matter of taste, some
people do not like to have a vertical toolbar, but don't tell me that it breaks useability,
or at least proof it to me. I do not understand how having a button on the left instead
of on the top could lead to a bad useability.

However, some Gnome programs have a bad usability for evident reasons.

I'm the main coder of GnomeMeeting, devoting most of my free time to it. Christian makes
a great job with translations; he makes a so good job that I really don't have to care at
all of what he is doing, I trust him. Miguel makes a great job too, he is the second main
coder in GnomeMeeting and is responsable of many parts of the code. However, we often disagree,
but it is fun, I like to get him angry, hehe ;)))

I still don't know what to do with the vertical toolbar. I'll make screenshots, keeping the
prefs button, and see how it looks like. There other decisions to take. For example,
I should comply with the Gnome Preferences to show or to not show labels on toolbars.
However, most users don't know that it is a general option and most programs like galeon, balsa,
... do not respect that general setting. I wonder if I will get complaints or not about it.

Believe me, I'm trying to make the best good-looking application, and the most usable.
For example, the preferences in GnomeMeeting are fully compliant with the standards, and 
GnomeMeeting is the only application to fully comply -even Galeon, Christian, do not comply
to the general rules defined by the Gnome Usability Team-.

My conclusion, is that I sent a mail  to know what people prefer, and it resulted in a war
about toolbars... It makes no sense... Do I prefer a red or yellow car ? Ohhh I prefer a red
car because it is more usable!
That was the last joke of this thread, see you all on the channel this afternoon guys!

If I get help, 0.13 should be ready for the FOSDEM in 2 weeks. And I think that again, thanks
to Miguel and Christian, it will be possible ...

I don't know what to do, but well, I'll do it ;)



-- 
 _	Damien Sandras
(o-	GnomeMeeting - H.323 Video-Conferencing application -
//\		web:  http://www.gnomemeeting.org/
v_/_	FOSDEM 2002  - Free Software and Open Source Developers Meeting -
		web:  http://www.fosdem.org/