Re: People menu

["Lucas Rocha" <lucasr gnome org>]

Hi Owen,

2007/10/31, Owen Taylor <otaylor redhat com>:
>
> On Tue, 2007-10-30 at 15:36 +0200, Lucas Rocha wrote:
> > Hi online folks,
> >
> > I've posted some ideas for online desktop integration in GNOME here:
> >
> > http://blogs.gnome.org/lucasr/2007/10/30/people-menu-online-desktop-and-instant-messaging-in-gnome/
> >
> > Comments?.
>
>   "My main argument is that we should not have a separate "online
>    desktop mode" but try to turn our desktop into a web-aware
>    environment."
>
> My reaction to that is that we *are* trying to turn GNOME into a
> web-aware environment. The online desktop mode is just a way to let
> people try out our idea for the next generation of GNOME while still
> largely using unmodified GNOME components.

Just to show why I got this impression about the goals of the Online
Desktop initiative. Quote from Havoc on Red Hat Magazine[1]:

"GNOME Online Desktop is an alternate "mode" or flavor of the GNOME desktop."

I don't quite agree with this as the main goal of the online desktop.
Specially because this doesn't cover the large amount of platform and
infrastructure work that you've been doing (which in my opinion is one
of the most important part).

So, yes, I agree with you that it's not correct to say that you're not
bringing web-awareness to GNOME desktop but this is the message you've
been broadcasting.

> The sidebar is our current best idea of the user interface, but
> certainly the idea of the Online Desktop isn't tied to it ... you could
> also do it by extension of the current user interface.
>
> Some of the reasons we've been working on a sidebar
>
>  * We believe that the prevalence of wide-screen formats make a sidebar
>    natural for a lot of people. Web pages don't need or take advantage
>    of the full width of a wide screen. (The minimize-to-and-applet
>    mode of the sidebar is more menu-like and designed for people
>    with less screen real estate or more things to do with their
>    screen real estate.)
>
>  * The sidebar provides a way of radically changing the
>    emphasis of the UI...to concentrate on different things, like your
>    friends, rather than launching applications.
>
>  * We try to actively present useful information to the user rather than
>    making the user always have to go and navigate to it. If you reserve
>    an area of the screen for this you can do so with less distraction
>    and annoyance then popups. (The "currently playing music" track
>    feature] in the people stock works a lot better for me than music
>    popups in the Mugshot stacker.)
>
>  * People need a graphical image in their head of "what's different"
>    about a new version. There's value to looking different just to look
>    different.

I have nothing against the web-sidebar idea (and all the web goodies
that come with it). Actually, I think it's a really nice concept. What
I disagree is the idea of this sidebar as a replacement for the
current desktop UI layout - the online desktop as a separate UI
"flavour". I have two main reasons for disagreeing:

- A separate UI for online desktop covers very well the niche of
web-specific devices or kiosk mode desktops (which can be one of the
goals). However, IMO, it doesn't fit very well the more general and
common case of using the computer for daily activities *and* for
web/online stuff because it's (intentionally) too invasive and
proeminent (it's like you expected users to only use the desktop for
web access). This is why I proposed something like a "People menu" to
have access to the web-aware features (in our usual desktop) in a more
subtle way. Not that I think this "People menu" is a perfect idea (far
from it). I consider it just a form of inspiration for people who
really know how to design UI's. :-P

- I have this feeling that bringing the online desktop UI into the
usual desktop would create more excitement and better understanding
around this whole online desktop idea because end-users would perceive
it as a major feature addition to their current desktop environment
instead of "another way" of using GNOME (which is innovative but
doesn't work on all cases in my opinion). For example (maybe not so
relevant but still...), this user blogged[2] about my "People menu"
post as the "Primi accenni di "GNOME Online Desktop" ("First sign of
the GNOME Online Desktop" in italian) which is completely wrong (as
it's definitely not the first sign) but it's how he perceived and
understood it.

Ok, I'm stopping here because I don't want to bring any stop/negative
energy to you guys because you're doing a great job and I really think
the online desktop initiative is strategically important to GNOME and
Free Software.

Cheers!

--lucasr

[1] http://www.redhatmagazine.com/2007/11/13/tour-of-gnome-online-desktop/
[2] http://pollycoke.wordpress.com/2007/10/30/primi-accenni-di-gnome-online-desktop/