Re: [Rhythmbox-devel] [patch] music as desktop service

[Bryan Clark <bclark redhat com>]

Woot!  

The HIG doesn't talk about this kind of system yet because the HIG is slow to have changes like this integrated and it's actually better that way.  The HIG best serves GNOME by being the agreed upon standard of good UI programming practices, not the spec set out by us before people have been using and testing it for a while.

So the technical part of the idea is kind of an evolution of certain desktop applications as services.  Since applications haven't been designed like services before, initial reaction from most people is AAHHH!!!  But you have to let go of the fear that rb is going to suck up all your memory and not give it back easily. ;-) Part of the services idea is that apps will, after a small period of idle, unload any resources they were using and kind of "suspend" themselves.  But that's really not for me to talk about, whatever it takes to get the user experience better.

The human relevant part of the idea is you don't have to worry about managing rhythmbox as an application.  All you have to do is manage the songs playing.  When you stop using RB it should kindly return your memory and other resources, but there's no reason the icon has to go away.  As long as your desktop is snappy and responsive again it doesn't matter.

Walters (and ssp) did some awesome work to get an animation in there as well so it's clear where the app is going and coming from (does it animate on appearance yet?).  I think this will help a lot in the change.

My two cents.

Cheers,
~ Bryan