Re: [Usability]From application- to user-centric configuration

[Daniel F Moisset <dmoisset arnet com ar>]

On Fri, 2002-03-08 at 14:01, Tommi Komulainen wrote:
> From: Tommi Komulainen <Tommi Komulainen iki fi>
> To: usability gnome org
> Subject: [Usability]From application- to user-centric configuration
> Date: 08 Mar 2002 00:44:53 +0200
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I've been wondering, do you think it would be possible to get rid of the
> current application-centric configuration model anytime soon?
> 
> Personally, I'm getting sick and tired of configuring new browser, or
> mail client, to the same settings I've already configured to countless
> other applications.  Proxies, fonts, languages, java/javascript on/off,
> homepage, bookmarks, e-mail address, IMAP servers, mail folder
> locations, addressbook, you name it.
> 
The problem is with configuration in general, not only applications. For
example, If my mouse protocol is foobar, i have to tell X, gpm and
svgalib that my mouse protocol is foobar (probably, in different ways)

> Every single time I want to try a new application, I have to enter the
> same information over and over again.  Why do I have to do that?
> 
> For example, I have one e-mail address you can use to send me mail.
> I don't have one you can use to send mail to my mutt, another for
> evolution, third for sylpheed, and so on.
> 
> I think the configuration of such things should not revolve around the
> application, but the functionality of the application, or sometimes the
> user.  When configuring evolution I'm not really thinking about
> configuring evolution, I'm thinking I'm configuring a mail client.
There should be possible to have different configurations anyway, but
only if the user desires so.

> When
> I want to try some other mail client I only wonder why I have to do that
> all over again.  Didn't I just configure a mail client?  Why can't the
> applications share that configuration?
> 
> Do you think something like this could be used in GNOME?  I think it
> would significantly reduce the configuration effort of users.  Diversity
> and having the possibility to choose are good, but when you have to
> repeat everything again and again for every choice, it becomes a PITA.

I think it should be done at a lower level than GNOME. Because, for
example, i would like to set my desktop background at gnome, and then
have the same if one day i want to use kde, or windowmaker.

I have thought a lot about this problem, and drafted some analysis of
what should be done to solve it. I wrote a very rough design of what
could be used to solve that, in a way that could be usable with current
apps w/o modification. But i haven't enough time to implement it, so
it's been stored in a shelf :-(

If you're interested, you can read it at:
http://www.grulic.org.ar/~dmoisset/lcf/doc/design.html

If you know about somebody that likes it and wants to write it, I would
gladly help finishing the design (There are some modifications I never
made on that document, based on some things I learned from similar
tools, i.e: GConf, Windows Registry, etc...), and I have a rough idea of
what the API should be like.

I think the configurations issues addressed there are a huge usability
problem for gnu+linux as a system, not just gnome.

	Daniel
-- 
Knowledge, sir, should be free to all!
                -- Harry Mudd, "I, Mudd", stardate 4513.3