[Setup-tool-hackers] Re: Admin tool UI designs

[Arturo Espinosa Aldama <arturo mezcal dyndns org>]

On Tue, 31 Oct 2000, Taylor Hayward wrote:

> Hi guys,
> 
> This is Taylor and I'm helping out with the Gnome UI
> for a few weeks.  My first task is to work with you on
> the Admin Tools UI.
> 
> 
> Here is a link to screen shots I took.
> 
> http://primates.helixcode.com/~taylor/
> 
> Let me know when a good time to conference call is.

All these screenshots show pretty much the same layout we have been using
for the moment. All of the frontends need a complete redesign, based on
new UI policies, not just a couple of widget moving-around and some spit
and shine. You should take a look at the users administrator and tell us
what you think about that one, which has gone under a different
perspective for the UI.

Here are some issues I have been thinking about, and which I have already
shown to the others. Some of these issues have already been adressed:

User experience.

 I don't agree with the single, huge lever telling the whole setup-tools
 system about some global user experience. It is common that, for example,
 users have good experience mannaging users, but maybe they have never
 exported an NFS share. User experience should be more granular. I say we
 should have an Advanced|Beginner button for every setup-tool, and probably
 the most important dialogs, that would let the user tell the machine to
 present more options and a more practical interfase, or go back to the
 more intuitive and restricted UI.

 The default interfase should be beginner. Then, every tool would remember
 its Advanced|Beginner buttons' state, to avoid annoying the advanced
 user in subsequent sessions. The Advanced|Beginner button changes its label
 from ">> Advanced" to "<< Beginner" when it is pressed.

 The fist time the Advanced button is pressed, it pops up a dialog warning
 the user, and explaining the behaviour of this button. The user can then
 choose to continue with advanced options, or stick with Beginner. Obviously,
 we'll offer the option to never show the dialog again, which would have
 a global effect (throughout all the setup-tools).
 
 For dialogs, the Beginner-level UI would be a druid. The druid would always
 present an ">> Advanced" button, which when pressed, would destroy the
 druid and present the advanced dialog, which has a faster interfase for
 data input. The advanced dialog has in turn a "<< Beginner" button, which
 destroys the dialog and summons the druid. Obviously, we are allways
 passing a structure here, which fills in the information in the druid and
 the dialog data entries.

 We could still have the huge, general lever, wich would simply set the
 level for every frontend out there.

Should we hide UNIX (UNIX concepts) from the end-user?

 It would be nice to have UNIX-aware users, where gurus and end-users can
 communicate in the same language. The druids would explain the concepts.
 GNOME would be an environment where you can learn new, more sophisticated
 stuff. Hiding UNIX could be difficult, and would make it equally difficult
 to the users to use any other configuration tools. Transition from end-user
 to expert is easier this way. Druids and help files could refer the user to
 the LDP howtos, for the maximum level of explanation.
 
 UNIX concepts are complicated, with arcane names. We could create a new,
 friendlier terminology, without loosing formal aspect. UNIX and its
 terminology, are bound to disappear, or at least to evolve. setup-tools
 should offer a wrap over the low-level operating system-dependant concepts,
 to allow easy transitions to other systems, or new revolutionary versions
 of those already existing.

---------

Stuff to do:

The tools should be more intelligent.

 e.g. offering only the type of device actually working for device selection
 (mounting devices, network shares). These tools are not just formats the
 user fills in: the tool should help the user take his desitions. An
 overriding option should always exist, to avoid over-protecting the user.

Conform with GNOME.

 If we are going to stay with the current interfase, we should be using
 gnome_property_box. (I see now that the gnome_property_box is not flexible
 enough for our needs, but we should emulate its look).

 We'll try to use more stock and stuff.

gnome-druids should be all over the place.

 The use of the druid is a learning experience, with easy to understand
 texts at every screen.

---------------

GUI stuff:

- The check for the clists looks like a check button. Maybe we should get
  rid of the box, and make the white parts transparent. All clists will
	be changed for etables, to get in-line editting and stuff. All this should
	only be used for the advanced levels.

- If we have OK and Apply Buttons, we shouldn't have "Canel", but "Close"





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