Re: [GnomeMeeting-list] To attention of Damien Sandras: offers for GM's wishlist...

[PUYDT Julien <julien puydt laposte net>]

On ven, 2004-02-27 at 15:03, info wrote:
> We use GM since november 2003 as main office intercomunication 
> tool (instead of "traditional" office phonestation). It's about 
> 10 most active users with very different qualification: the 
> highest is sysadmin, but not a programmer (it's I), the lowest 
> is girl on reception, her qualification is so low that she have 
> troubles with sending-receiving emails :-/ (but she succesfully 
> used GM).

Nice to know. 1.00 should do even better.

> Each of our GM users make about 10-30 videoconferences per day. 
> 
> So, after 4 month of daily practice with GM, I want to ask you 
> to add some features to Gnomemeeting. That features are 
> necessary for using GM in such manner as we do it (i.e. as 
> office intercom), but I think that they can me usable in other 
> cases too. 

No problem, see comments after each.

> 1. "Fast-call" panel.
> 
> The necessarity of this feature became evident when user every 
> day make many calls to the same recipients (for example, the 
> secretary in reception inform boss about visitor, or boss calls 
> his subordinates, etc.). Addressbook's usage is too slow for 
> this aims. 
> So, it needs some panel that contain buttons, that establish 
> connection by single click. This buttons must be associated 
> with addressbook's records; on the surface of button must be 
> the recipient's name from addressbook. 
> Of course, it's not need automatically associate all 
> addressbook's records with "fast-call" buttons. GM's user can 
> do it manually, and only for most frequently-used recipients.

That is an idea... the addressbook will be reworked after 1.00 anyway
(to integrate better with the gnome desktop).

> 2. Hotkeys.
> 
> It will be greate if it will be a feature for accociating 
> fast-call buttons will hotkeys. In this case, the handiness of 
> GM's usage as office intercome will be equal with the handiness 
> of traditional office phone-devices with "fast-call" buttons.
> 
> In addition, it will be good if it will be a hotkey for 
> activating main GM's window in situations, when GM sits in tray 
> only... 

There are speed-dials for people in addressbook... at least there will
be in 1.00. Basically, give to someone in the addressbook "plop" as
speed-dial, then enter "plop#" in the address entry, enter, and voila!

> 3. Size tunability of popup windows
> 
> We tune our GMs in such manner that remote video appeared not in 
> the main GM's window, but in new windows. We do it because that 
> windows appeared on the decktop that is active in moment when 
> call begins. 
> But in our GM 0.98.5 that popup windows are small even if large 
> size of video setted in main GM's settings. On our mind, it 
> must be size tunability for both types of popup windows (i.e. 
> remote and local video). 

I think 1.00 remembers the position of the windows.

> In addition, it will be good if recirient's name will be 
> displayed in popup windows in such manner as it done in main 
> GM's window.

It is written in the window title... at least in 1.00.

> 4. Microphone muting/unmuting.
> 
> Now, when GM sits in tray and wait calls, microphone isn't 
> muted. It caused problems with noises in speakers...
> Of course, microphone can be muted/unmuted manually by mixer... 
> But it's not a comfortable way if you have 10-30 
> videoconfereces per day...

Uh!? My own mic is muted at the moment, but works great in a call
anyway...

> So, it must be pair of user-selected feature in GM's settings: 
> "automatically mute microphone when call ended" and 
> "automatically unmute microphone when call begins".
>  
> 5. Simultaneous calls
> 
> On our practice, it's often needs not "full" videoconference 
> (i.e. when 3 or more peoples communicates all together)... It's 
> will better to illustrate by example: boss call me, we speak, 
> but in this moment some visitor come to reception and secretary 
> call boss to report about this visitor... I don't need to see 
> secretary's face, and hear her woice, and she don't need to see 
> my face and hear my words addressed to boss only... But boss in 
> this situation needs to see both our faces and hear both our 
> voices... 

Hmmm... 1.00 can put calls on hold. Not sure getting two people to talk
to a single one simultaneously is really practical.

> 6. Conference encryption
> 
> This is the last wish to wishlist. Of course, the encrypting of 
> videocoferencing can be provided via soft like IPsec, Freeswan 
> etc. (i.e. by making virtual private network), but it isn't the 
> best way. It's lockstep, in this case encryption will be 
> avaliable only for members of this VPN. 
> 
> So, we think, that encryption's usage in videoconferencing must 
> be such easy and flexible, as it is in e-mailing now. If you 
> and I both want communicate via encrypted e-mails, we can do it 
> very easy, without any VPN, isn't it?
> 
> In another words, as minimum in case of two-sided 
> videoconference (i.e. 2 peoples speaks) the correspondents must 
> have possibility of encryption's switching-on by 
> "one-button-click" (i.e. button "Encryption" in main GM's 
> window). I think, this isn't very difficult to built into GM 
> something like ssh-like connection between 2 computers. 
> Cryptographical algorithms is in linux kernel now... 

No comment on this one, I don't know that area of gnomemeeting much.

> This is all for this moment. We will glad if at least some of 
> our wiches will be included in you TODO.

Some are even already in 1.00, I think.

> And I hope that my bad English doesn't prevent understanding of 
> our offer's essence.

No problem. Nice to have feedback!

Snark on #gnomemeeting