Re: "more refined" panel icons

[Rene Rask <rene grain dk>]

On Sat, 2005-02-19 at 23:11 -0500, Sven wrote:
> hi,
> 
> i don't really like the WinXP look and feel of NM's signal strength
> icon :-| in addition, it only indicates strengths in the regions 100% <
> 75% < 50% < 25% < 0% (for what it's worth anyway). i quite like gwlan's
> icon, nevertheless i decided to come up with "my own" design (which
> probably already exists out there). i'm as bold as to suggest to change
> NM's icons, but if somebody out there wants a more refined set of panel
> icons for the signal strength, here's a patch and a link to a set of
> icons (that need to be copied to NM's panel-applet/icons/ directory
> before compiling). the strength range is  100 < 85 <65 < 45 < 25 < 5 <
> 0, and the color changes according to the signal strength range. it's
> certainly not perfect and not meant for everybody, but i thought i'd
> share it with the NM world - maybe somebody finds it useful (i.e., likes
> it or feels inspired to do her/his own icons).

I must admit that I like the current icon.
- It clearly show that you are connected.
- It shows the strength of the signal and if you need more detail, you
can hover the pointer above it.
- It resembles the signal strength icon on many mobile phones which is a
big plus.

Your icon on the other hand has no recognition factor _at all_. 
The icon "disappears" with low signal strength.
The clue as to how strong the signal is is gone. You don't have a visual
reference for maximum strength when your strength is low.
I mean, its like saying "strength is 5" without also making clear that
it is 5 out of 10 with 10 being the strongest.

If you really want a new icon I would suggest it be made a theme option.
The current one is a perfect match for bluecurve and more importantly it
is obviously a strength indicator.

That is just my opinion of course.

Cheers
Rene