Re: [HIG] Sections that still need people to work on them:

[Gregory Merchan <merchan phys lsu edu>]

On Wed, Nov 14, 2001 at 02:15:55PM -0800, Seth Nickell wrote:
> * Desktop
> 
> The old desktop integration section (which still needs revising, but I'm
> getting to as soon as icons are done) doesn't really belong in here, I
> think. What is this section intended for, and is it something that we
> really want written more than, say, rewriting one of the "needs to be
> rewritten" sections? We can always add this later, is it critical for
> releasing a GNOME 2 hig?

Somehow I missed the desktop integration section with the proposed reorderings.

These two snips should help. (There may be more.)

From: Adam Elman <aelman users sourceforge net>
Subject: [HIG] Must-change list
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 13:18:05 -0700
-> <snip>
-> SECTION 6. Integrating Applications with the Desktop
-> ----------------------------------------------------
->
-> 1. Move the section on icons (6.1.1) to its own chapter.
-> 2. Move the technical detail to a separate document (but provide a 
-> pointer from the HIG).  The HIG should include a paragraph describing
-> the effects we want to see.
-> From mjs' review:
-> * This separate document should cover .mime, .keys, .application and
->   .desktop files, and should apologize for .desktop and .application
->   files being different.
->
-> * The separate document should _not_ suggest installing a .mime or
->   .keys file for mime types already defined by the system, only for
->   custom app-specific ones. In particular, gnome-vfs already defines
->   all the intersting info for text/html.
-> <snip>

From: Maciej Stachowiak <mjs noisehavoc org>
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 11:43:13 -0800
Subject: Re: [HIG] Division Revision - First Part, Second Proposal
-> <snip>
-> >         (Maciej adds a Desktop section here for integration issues and
-> >          desktop-wide UI. I don't know what that second part is.)
->
-> The second part would cover anything we cared to specify about the
-> desktop, the panel, the window manager, and other global objects. I
-> don't know if we care to.
-> <snip>

> * Windows
> 
> Blank.

Yup. See below.

> * Menus
> 
> Still needs to be rewritten.

I'm working on it.

> * Alerts
> 
> Mostly blank.

I'm working on this too. Um, this is out of the order previously discussed.
I think the section on windows needs to address button order in dialogs,
alerts, and assistants so the case can be made for consistency. I felt
compelled not to sort or sink it until that's done.

> * Dialogs
> 
> Also mostly blank. Why are dialogs and alerts seperate sections? They
> share many things in common.

They share basic appearance and not being the primary window. That's
really the end of it. Alerts should be sunk into the feedback section,
modulo the bits about appearance.

> * Toolboxes
> 
> This might be nice to have but I don't think its *critical* prior to
> releasing the HIG. We can post a revision with this added later. Lets
> get things that are really important to standardize done now. Can we nix
> this for now?

Yes. It should be mentioned in the windows section.

> * Assistants
> 
> Other than button order I think we should nix this for now. We need
> comprehensive button order specs for all sorts of different things,
> perhaps that should form its own section, since its one of the things we
> actually want to get almost-all-the-way-converted for GNOME 2. We aren't
> writing a full HIG, so lets be pragrmatic here and push the changes that
> we want to make.

I think we are writing the whole thing. We've dropped 'mini' from the name
and have gone well beyond the original size and scope.

I imagine this will be absorbed into the windows section. So what we're
looking at here is:

Window (blurbs about the primary window, utility windows,
          and maybe assistant windows.
	blurb about button order for alerts, dialogs, and assistants)

Dialogs (Note that these are not alerts or utility windows.
	 an assistant might be though of as a sequence of dialogs,
           so perhaps they should be covered here?)

Feedback (status bars, progress bars, tooltips, color changes, animation,
          and alerts.  Any more?)

******************************************************************

 Question:

   In which section should assistants appear: Windows or Dialogs?

******************************************************************
(I favor Dialogs.)

> * Feedback
> 
> Blank. Maciej, would you be willing to write this?
> 
> * Controls
> 
> Not terrific right now, but I wouldn't hold the release of the HIG up
> for it.

Someone has a comment about controls vs. widgets. Short answer, controls and
widgets are intersecting sets. Controls are either simple widget or
combinations thereof with which the user interacts. An HBox is a widget, but
not a control since it only affects layout. A menu bar is a combination of
a MenuBar and some Menus and some MenuItems

> * Icons
> 
> Still in the process of being completed but I'm actively working on it.
> Suz is now reviewing it for me and possibly doing some rewriting.
> 
> * Checklists
> 
> We need a checklist section, though I would be happy to punt this from
> the actual guide and release it as a supplement if that would get the
> guide out sooner.

A checklist is easier than a guide. If something really must go out soon,
it's a checklist; there's not much reason to care about writing style when
there's just a list.



There is too much rushing on the GNOME project.

Cheers,
Greg Merchan

P.S. - I've felt ill today. Apologies in advance for any incoherence.